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- Cloudflare's outage pushed major crypto platforms offline and exposed critical dependence on centralized web infrastructure

- Exchanges and Solana protocols faced service failures as users struggled with login errors

- Cloudflare later confirmed an internal firewall update caused the disruption

Cloudflare (NYSE: $NET ) suffered another major outage on Dec. 5, less than a month after its previous failure, triggering widespread service interruptions across cryptocurrency exchanges and large sections of the internet. Reports surfaced within minutes as websites went offline and users struggled to access platforms they depend on for real-time financial activity.

Cloudflare later confirmed that a Web Application Firewall update caused the interruption. The change aimed to protect internet services from a recently reported React Server Components vulnerability. The company implemented a fix and continued monitoring, stressing that the disruption was not an external attack but an internal configuration error.

https://twitter.com/CloudflareHelp/status/1996879738351100203

Crypto Market Services Hit as Outage Spreads

Major crypto exchanges encountered interface interruptions and degraded performance during the incident. Platforms tied to the Solana (CRYPTO: $SOL ) ecosystem, including Jupiter, Raydium, and Meteora, saw front-end failures. Large centralized exchanges such as Coinbase and Kraken also suffered temporary service issues, blocking users from executing trades or reviewing balances.

The outage echoed a similar event on November 18, which shut down large parts of the internet and triggered 500 internal server errors across prominent crypto trackers and social-media platforms. Monitoring portals and analytics sites went offline as Cloudflare's dashboard and API encountered failures, amplifying concerns about single points of failure in digital infrastructure.

Trading platforms reacted quickly as they assessed their exposure. BitMEX acknowledged it was investigating problems linked to Cloudflare's network. The incident followed an earlier AWS outage that affected Coinbase, Robinhood, and networks such as Base. Repeated failures across the industry have intensified calls for diversified infrastructure and multi-provider configurations to prevent total service lockouts.

Beyond crypto markets, major websites also went dark as Cloudflare's disruption expanded across its global network. Platforms including X, Substack, and Canva registered outages, while DownDetector, the site people typically use to verify ongoing failures, struggled to load.

AI Traffic Controls Add New Pressure Points

Cloudflare's broader approach to managing internet activity also came into focus. CEO Matthew Prince stated at WIRED's Big Interview event that the company blocked more than 400 billion AI bot requests since July 1. The restrictions stem from its Content Independence Day initiative, designed to prevent web-scraping models from collecting data without paying for access.

Moreover, Cloudflare reported blocking 416 billion AI-related requests since July 2025, reflecting a shift toward tighter control of automated traffic. These moves highlight a tension between safeguarding websites and shaping how online data circulates.

Recurring Cloudflare incidents have pushed companies to reconsider their reliance on a single provider. As the latest outage demonstrated, one misconfigured update can push exchanges, DeFi interfaces, and major websites offline within seconds.