Cloudflare Democratizes Access to Critical Security Tools For Free, Helps Make the Internet Safer For Everyone

Rhea-AI Summary

Cloudflare (NYSE: NET) has announced the release of several critical security tools for free, including access to its comprehensive Zero Trust platform, Cloudflare One. This move aims to democratize access to essential security tools, making them available to organizations of all sizes across industries.

The free offerings include:

• HTTP, Security, and DNS Analytics for visibility across environments
• Leaked Credentials Checks to detect suspicious login attempts
• Schema Validation to identify and stop API abuse
• Page Shield Script Monitor to ensure website safety
• Cloudflare One products for implementing a zero trust framework

By providing these tools at no cost, Cloudflare aims to address the challenges of expensive vendor renewals and diminishing security budgets, while combating high-profile threats such as credential leaks, supply chain attacks, and API vulnerabilities.

Positive

• Cloudflare is offering critical security tools for free, including its Zero Trust platform
• The free tools address high-profile threats like credential leaks, supply chain attacks, and API vulnerabilities
• The move democratizes access to essential security tools for organizations of all sizes
• Free offerings include analytics, leaked credentials checks, API protection, and zero trust framework implementation

Negative

• None.

Insights

Cybersecurity Analyst

Cloudflare's decision to offer critical security tools for free is a significant move in the cybersecurity landscape. This initiative addresses the growing concern of increasing software costs, which are expected to rise by 12.3% in 2024. By providing free access to their Zero Trust platform, Cloudflare One and other security tools, the company is democratizing advanced security measures.

The offering includes important features such as:

• HTTP, Security and DNS Analytics for comprehensive visibility
• Leaked Credentials Checks to prevent credential stuffing attacks
• API Schema Validation to protect against API vulnerabilities
• Page Shield Script Monitor for third-party script security

This move could potentially disrupt the cybersecurity market, putting pressure on competitors to reassess their pricing strategies. For Cloudflare, this could lead to increased adoption of their platform, potentially translating to long-term revenue growth through upsells and premium features.

Financial Analyst

Cloudflare's strategy to offer free security tools is a bold move that could significantly impact its market position and financial performance. While this may seem counterintuitive from a revenue perspective, it's likely to drive user acquisition and expand Cloudflare's market share. The company's $28.2 billion market cap suggests it has the financial strength to absorb short-term revenue impacts.

This freemium model could lead to:

• Increased user base and data collection, enhancing Cloudflare's services
• Potential for upselling premium features to free users
• Strengthened brand loyalty and market presence

Long-term, this strategy may result in higher revenue growth as users become reliant on Cloudflare's ecosystem. However, investors should monitor how this affects the company's profitability and customer acquisition costs in the coming quarters.

Company removes roadblocks for security teams by delivering tools, that are often expensive and out of reach, for free to any organization

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET), the leading connectivity cloud company, today announced that it is making several critical security tools free, including access to its comprehensive Zero Trust platform, Cloudflare One. By tapping into the power of these tools, security teams will now be able to efficiently gain visibility into and assess the overall health of their organization, without the stress of expensive vendor renewals or diminishing security budgets. Customers will be able to combat some of today’s highest profile threats — automatically, by default — including credential leaks, supply chain attacks, and attacks on the technology that underpins the communication between today’s most used sites and apps: APIs.

One of the biggest barriers to securing an organization is the cost of purchasing the tools necessary to defend against today’s sophisticated threat actors. The services required to adequately achieve this are traditionally only attainable by enterprises large enough to afford both the technology and the teams to manage it. For most other organizations, negotiating the renewal of security vendors is difficult, increasingly expensive, and one of the biggest headaches that CISOs face. In 2024, software inflation is expected to hit 12.3%, which points towards hefty increases in renewal rates. But these price increases are not indicative of any additional value added to the tools and services they provide. As the attack surface grows — with novel vulnerabilities discovered daily, alongside emerging threat actor groups, tactics and malware — security teams require access to effective protections that aren’t overpriced or lock them into relationships that are difficult and costly to get out of.

“For every dollar a customer spends, we should be giving them 10x the value in return. But most security vendors increase their pricing every year without adding any value,” said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. “By releasing these features for free, organizations won’t be forced to decide between saving money or safeguarding their most sensitive data and services. And with greater adoption of these features through our free plan, Cloudflare can make them more effective, ultimately making the Internet a safer place for everyone.”

Now, organization’s of all sizes across any industry can protect themselves from today’s threats — backed by the power of Cloudflare’s global network — allowing them to:

• Gain visibility across environments: Complexity is the number one concern for any CISO. Keeping track of risks is more difficult than ever with rapid innovation that results in too many software tools and flaws in IT environments. Cloudflare HTTP, Security, and DNS Analytics provide a centralized view of overarching traffic trends in a specific environment — e.g., insight on top stats across a variety of dimensions such as countries, and analysis around DNS queries, a request from a user to a service, for troubleshooting issues, or detecting patterns and trends.
• Automatically detect suspicious login attempts: Almost half of all breaches involve stolen credentials that are reused across multiple websites. Cloudflare Leaked Credentials Checks helps detect suspicious login attempts, where a bad actor may try to use a leaked password from one site to access others, based on a database of over 15 billion compromised passwords and usernames and a partnership with Have I Been PWNED.
• Identify and stop API abuse: The world runs on APIs — our phones, smartwatches, banking systems, and shopping sites all rely on APIs to communicate. However, security issues arise when bugs accidentally reveal sensitive information or developers publish APIs that security teams aren’t aware of. Cloudflare Schema Validation stops APIs from inadvertently exposing information that it shouldn’t.
• Ensure safety and privacy of websites from potential bad actors: The use of third party scripts — programs or pieces of code from third-party providers that enhance website performance — are ubiquitous across nearly all of today’s businesses. But if unmanaged or unsecured, they are a goldmine for threat actors to exfiltrate sensitive information. Cloudflare’s Page Shield Script Monitor logs all scripts and provides unmatched visibility that allows for fast and more informed decisions.
• Enforce a positive security model: A zero trust approach is not only essential, but the only way to achieve an effective approach to modern security. Cloudflare One’s products — including Magic Network Monitoring, SaaS Cloud Application Security, Data Loss Prevention and Digital Experience Monitoring to start — will now be bundled into a free offering to enable organizations to seamlessly begin their journey towards building a zero trust framework.

Cloudflare’s free security offerings are all generally available to Cloudflare customers at this time, and enabled by default to customers on the Free plan.

To learn more, please check out the resources below:

• Blog: A safer Internet: free cyber security detections with Cloudflare
• Cloudflare One
• Cloudflare Leaked Credentials Checks
• Cloudflare Schema Validation
• Cloudflare’s Page Shield Script Monitor

About Cloudflare

Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET) is the leading connectivity cloud company on a mission to help build a better Internet. It empowers organizations to make their employees, applications and networks faster and more secure everywhere, while reducing complexity and cost. Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud delivers the most full-featured, unified platform of cloud-native products and developer tools, so any organization can gain the control they need to work, develop, and accelerate their business.

Powered by one of the world’s largest and most interconnected networks, Cloudflare blocks billions of threats online for its customers every day. It is trusted by millions of organizations – from the largest brands to entrepreneurs and small businesses to nonprofits, humanitarian groups, and governments across the globe.

Learn more about Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud at cloudflare.com/connectivity-cloud. Learn more about the latest Internet trends and insights at https://radar.cloudflare.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “explore,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these words, or other similar terms or expressions that concern Cloudflare’s expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions. However, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements expressed or implied in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the capabilities and effectiveness of Cloudflare One and Cloudflare’s other products and technology, potential benefits to Cloudflare’s customers from using Cloudflare One and Cloudflare’s other products and technology, potential benefits and features from Cloudflare One or other of Cloudflare’s products and technology, Cloudflare’s technological development, future operations, growth, initiatives, or strategies, and comments made by Cloudflare’s CEO and others. Actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to, risks detailed in Cloudflare’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including Cloudflare’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 2, 2024, as well as other filings that Cloudflare may make from time to time with the SEC.

The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. Cloudflare undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. Cloudflare may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in Cloudflare’s forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on Cloudflare’s forward-looking statements.

©2024 Cloudflare, Inc. All rights reserved. Cloudflare, the Cloudflare logo, and other Cloudflare marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Cloudflare, Inc. in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. All other marks and names referenced herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240924164737/en/

Cloudflare, Inc.

Daniella Vallurupalli

Vice President, Head of Global Communications

press@cloudflare.com

Source: Cloudflare, Inc.

FAQ

What security tools is Cloudflare (NET) offering for free?

Cloudflare is offering free access to its Zero Trust platform, Cloudflare One, as well as HTTP, Security, and DNS Analytics, Leaked Credentials Checks, Schema Validation for API protection, and Page Shield Script Monitor.

How does Cloudflare's (NET) free security offering benefit organizations?

The free security tools from Cloudflare help organizations gain visibility across environments, detect suspicious login attempts, stop API abuse, ensure website safety, and implement a zero trust framework without the burden of expensive vendor renewals or diminishing security budgets.

What types of threats can Cloudflare's (NET) free security tools address?

Cloudflare's free security tools can help combat high-profile threats such as credential leaks, supply chain attacks, and vulnerabilities in APIs, which are critical for communication between today's most used sites and apps.

When will Cloudflare's (NET) free security offerings be available?

According to the press release, Cloudflare's free security offerings are generally available to Cloudflare customers at this time and are enabled by default for customers on the Free plan.