Thanksgiving 2023 security incident

In September 2022, a sophisticated threat actor targeted Cloudflare's network. The attacker compromised an employee's personal computer and gained access to the company's systems through the employee's VPN connection. The intruder then used their access to move laterally within Cloudflare's network, escalate privileges, and ultimately steal sensitive data from several internal systems. Although the attacker managed to exfiltrate some information, no customer data was compromised during this incident. Cloudflare immediately launched an investigation into the breach, collaborating with external cybersecurity firms like CrowdStrike. The company identified multiple indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with the threat actor and took steps to mitigate any potential future attacks. In response to the breach, Cloudflare implemented various security improvements across its infrastructure, including enhancing employee training on best practices for securing their personal devices, strengthening access controls, and improving detection capabilities. Additionally, the company conducted a thorough review of its incident response processes and made necessary adjustments to ensure better preparedness against future cyberattacks. The Cloudflare security breach serves as a reminder that even highly secure organizations can fall victim to sophisticated threat actors. It highlights the importance of maintaining strong security postures through regular assessments, continuous monitoring, and prompt incident responses.