How to Fix Cloudflare DDoS Protection Mistakenly Killing Normal Traffic

existdistributed denial of service (DDOS) form of Internet attack(DDoS)targetMiddle.targetThe user is using multiple devices to send traffic to the same destination server, so theDDoSAttacks have become a major cybersecurity issue for many websites. Cloudflare, a globally recognized content delivery network (CDN) and security protection service provider, offers a powerful DDoS protectionfeature that works well to block malicious traffic and protect websites from attacks. However, it is also possible to misdirect normal traffic and cause website access problems.

This article looks at the reasons why Cloudflare DDoS protection mistakenly kills normal traffic and provides a series of solutions to help you avoid this.

1. Reasons for mistakenly killing normal traffic

Cloudflare's DDoS protection identifies potential attacks by analyzing traffic patterns, which are often based on several factors:

• traffic anomaly: Cloudflare recognizes a large number of requests from different IP addresses as possible attack traffic when they come to the site quickly.
• Blacklisting of malicious IP addresses: If an IP address frequently engages in malicious behavior, Cloudflare marks it as the source of the attack and blocks its access.
• Triggering of acceleration rules: Cloudflare may misclassify some normal traffic as anomalous through some mistriggered acceleration rules.

Since these protection mechanisms are based on traffic patterns and behavioral analysis, sometimes normal visitors can be mistaken for attack traffic.

2. How to Recognize False Kill Traffic

When mistakenly killing normal traffic, visitors typically see the following:

• 403 Forbidden error: Normal users may be denied access to the site.
• CAPTCHA Page: Visitors are asked to complete CAPTCHA authentication and are unable to enter the site successfully.

• web pageloading delay: Cloudflare may perform additional validation checks on normal traffic, resulting in access delays.

3. cure

3.1 Exclude DDoS protection rules

Cloudflare allows users to adjust their DDoS protection rules to exclude harmless traffic or sources through "custom rules".

• In the Cloudflare control panel, go to Firewall -> Custom Rules.
• locate "Firewall Rules" (firewall rule), click the "Create Firewall Rule"(Created)firewalls(Rule).
• Modification of rule conditions(e.g., blocking User-Agents or IPs) settings to prevent normal traffic from being misinterpreted as DDoS attacks.

3.2 Enable Challenge Mode

If a site is still experiencing false positives, you can enable Challenge Mode, which requires the user to perform a simple challenge authentication, such as a CAPTCHA or JavaScript check, when traffic enters the site. This is an effective way to differentiate between normal traffic and malicious attackers.

• Log in to the Cloudflare control panel and go to the Firewall settings.
• strike (on the keyboard) Create Rule(Creation rules).
• Adding Rule Conditions(e.g., frequency of visits, country/region, User-Agent).
• Select "Managed Challenge".(hosting challenge) or "Captcha"(Captcha).
• Save the rule and Cloudflare will automatically display the CAPTCHA page to suspicious traffic.

3.3 Creating an IP Whitelist

For some fixed sources of normal traffic, such as partners or frequent visitors, you can avoid false positives by creating IP whitelists. This means that requests from these IP addresses will pass straight through Cloudflare's protection without further scrutiny.

• Go to the "Firewall" settings and select "Tools".
• Add a trusted IP address or IP range to the IP Whitelist.

3.4 Analyzing access logs

Cloudflare's Analytics feature lets you see which traffic is flagged as malicious and which is normal. By analyzing access logs, you can accurately identify any false positives and adjust your protection strategy based on the log information.

• Go to the "Analyze" screen to view a detailed traffic report.

• Recognize unusual activity in traffic and take action.

3.5 Using a CAPTCHA or validation page

For some cases where the traffic is more complex or difficult to judge, you can introduce theCAPTCHA, a type of challenge-response test (computing)or customized authentication pages. This ensures that normal users are able to pass through without any problems, while attack traffic is effectively blocked.

• You can use Cloudflare's CAPTCHA feature or integrate CAPTCHA through other third-party services.
• Adjust the trigger conditions for CAPTCHA appropriately, e.g., request CAPTCHA only when the traffic is abnormal.

summarize

False injuries can be avoided by adjusting the protection level, enabling challenge mode, and using IP whitelisting. It is recommended to combine with traffic log analysis to adjust the protection strategy more accurately and keep theWebsite SecurityBalance with normal access. With proper configuration and tuning, Cloudflare's protection will provide better security for your website without affecting the normal user experience.

Contact Us
Can't read the tutorial? Contact us for a free answer! Free help for personal, small business sites!	Customer Service
① Tel: 020-2206-9892
② QQ咨询：1025174874
(iii) E-mail: info@361sale.com
④ Working hours: Monday to Friday, 9:30-18:30, holidays off