Recently, a large-scale account suspension incident at Cloudflare has caused a huge stir in the internet community, with numerous user accounts, including both commercial and personal free accounts, being forcibly suspended. This incident is by no means an isolated case, but rather a widespread and far-reaching storm that has sounded an alarm for all users who rely on Cloudflare services.
Based on the information currently available, this large-scale suspension is highly suspected to be related to the misuse of Workers/Pages for reverse proxying. In its updated terms of service in December 2024, Cloudflare explicitly prohibited the use of its services (including but not limited to Workers, Pages, and CDN) for any form of proxy forwarding, traffic relay, or circumvention of network restrictions. However, some innocent users who only used the DNS resolution function were also suspended. The customer service response was that the suspension was triggered by "automatic system risk control." This undoubtedly caused concern and confusion among users, who wondered why their accounts, which were used in compliance with the terms, were caught up in this incident.
The impact on users with suspended accounts varies. Domains that were already bound can continue to use the CDN, but new domains cannot be added, which is a significant obstacle to business expansion for enterprise users, hindering the normal development of their businesses. For individual users, it may mean that their carefully built personal websites or services face stagnation. Furthermore, Cloudflare's handling of this incident was problematic; the suspension notices only indicated "possible violation of the terms of service," without specifying the details of the violation. This makes it difficult for users to understand the root cause of the problem and address it effectively.
This incident provides several important lessons. When choosing cloud services, one should not blindly rely on a single vendor. Cloudflare's large-scale account suspensions have put many users' businesses in jeopardy precisely because of their over-reliance on its services and lack of backup solutions. If a similar situation occurs without other reliable service providers as a backup, the continuity and stability of the business will be severely threatened. Therefore, it is essential to diversify service providers to provide greater security for your business.
At the same time, it is crucial to pay close attention to the terms of service. Cloud service terms of service are not just empty words; they clearly stipulate the rules and restrictions of use. Cloudflare's crackdown on reverse proxy abuse is based on its updated terms of service. Before using any service, users must carefully read the terms of service to understand what actions are permitted and what actions constitute violations. During use, it is crucial to constantly refer to the terms and conditions to regulate your own behavior and avoid serious consequences such as account suspension due to violations. This large-scale account suspension incident by Cloudflare serves as a wake-up call for the entire internet industry and all users. Everyone should learn from this lesson and take precautions. While enjoying the convenience of cloud services, it is essential to implement risk prevention measures to ensure the stability and security of your business.