Cloudflare’s State of Application Security 2024 Report argued that many organizations are defending modern applications with controls designed for an older web. Its warning is mainly about APIs, cloud and SaaS services, automated traffic, and third-party code—not that every firewall, VPN, or WAF is obsolete.
The report, published June 25, 2024, analyzed Cloudflare-observed traffic from April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. It found major visibility gaps, very rapid exploitation, and heavy bot and DDoS activity. The practical lesson is to combine continuous asset discovery, identity-aware API controls, rapid vulnerability response, and layered edge protection.
What Cloudflare actually measured
Cloudflare says it mitigated 6.8% of all web-application and API traffic seen during the observation period. Those figures come from aggregated patterns on Cloudflare’s global network, supplemented by cited third-party information. They describe Cloudflare’s customers and traffic—not a statistically representative sample of every organization or every internet request.
| Finding | Qualification |
|---|---|
| 6.8% of web-application and API traffic mitigated | Cloudflare-observed traffic, April 2023–March 2024 |
| 37.1% of application traffic mitigated was DDoS traffic | Share of traffic Cloudflare mitigated |
| 31.2% of traffic came from bots | Cloudflare-observed traffic, not all internet traffic |
| 93% of bot traffic was unverified | “Unverified” is not synonymous with definitively malicious |
| 33% more public API endpoints discovered | Machine-learning discovery compared with customer-provided session identifiers |
| 66.6% of protected API traffic used traditional negative WAF rules | Cloudflare’s classification of traffic receiving Layer 7 security |
| 22 minutes to exploitation | One zero-day was exploited 22 minutes after proof-of-concept publication |
Cloudflare’s commercial position matters when interpreting the findings: its network and customer mix shape the data, and its recommended remedies often correspond to Cloudflare products. The statistics are useful signals, not universal measurements or proof that a particular customer was compromised.
#1 Best Overall
- Compact and Efficient Design: The FortiGate 40F is designed for small to mid-sized businesses and enterprise branch offices, featuring a compact, fanless desktop form factor that ensures quiet operation and minimizes space usage.
- Robust Connectivity Options: Equipped with 5 GE RJ45 ports, including 1 WAN port and 4 internal ports, this model provides essential connectivity and flexibility for various network configurations in a small-scale environment.
- High-Performance Security: Offers up to 1 Gbps IPS throughput and 600 Mbps threat protection throughput, using Fortinet’s purpose-built security processor technology to deliver industry-leading performance and protection for SSL encrypted traffic.
- Advanced Threat Protection: Integrated with Fortinet’s AI-powered FortiGuard Labs, the FortiGate 40F offers comprehensive cybersecurity, identifying and mitigating both known and unknown threats to maintain robust security across your network.
- Simplified Management and Deployment: Features a user-friendly management console that provides comprehensive network automation and visibility, coupled with Zero Touch Integration with Fortinet’s Security Fabric for easy deployment.
For later context, Cloudflare reported 47.1 million DDoS attacks in 2025 and a 31.4 Tbps record attack in its 2025 Q4 report. Those are separate, later observations and do not change the 2024 report’s dates or method.
Cloudflare’s June 25, 2024 announcement and its State of application security explainer provide the underlying figures.
What “outdated security approach” means
“Outdated” describes a mismatch between a control and the system it is supposed to protect. A conventional WAF rule, VPN, IP allowlist, or on-premises DDoS appliance can remain valuable as one layer. The problem is relying on such a control as the primary answer for fast-changing APIs, distributed applications, cloud services, and automated abuse.
- Generic WAF signatures block known payloads but may miss valid-looking requests that abuse a workflow or authorization flaw.
- Manual API inventories become stale as mobile clients, partners, internal services, and AI-enabled applications add endpoints.
- Authenticated users, approved IP addresses, and VPN-connected devices are often treated as trustworthy without evaluating the specific identity, token, device, operation, or risk.
- Perimeter-centric “castle-and-moat” routing can backhaul SaaS traffic, add latency, and concentrate failure points.
- On-demand scrubbing and manually activated controls may be too slow for attacks that start and scale automatically.
- Third-party browser code is frequently managed as a performance concern rather than as a supply-chain and data-access risk.
Cloudflare describes the castle-and-moat limitation in its zero-trust reference architecture. The right question is not whether a tool is old, but whether it supplies current visibility, context, scale, and response speed.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Rank #2
- 【Professional Firewall & NAS SERVER】OAKNODE 10gbe Firewall Appliance Mini PC-MGNASN, a powerful professional firewall router pc equipped with a 12th Gen Alder Lake N100 4C/4T up to 3.4GHz TDP only 6W with Intel UHD Graphics which maximizes the performance of the 2.5GbE port & SFP+ port, bring you a smooth secured and encrypted network environment.
- 【Rich I/O to meet your needs】Firewall Appliance MGNASN With HDMI 2.0+DP 1.4+TYPE-C(dp 1.2) Support for 3x4K@60Hz together, Dual DDR4 RAM slot support for up to 1x32GB SO-Dimm laptop DDR5 Ram Maximum 5600Mhz and 1xM.2 NVMe/PCIe 3.0x1 2280 SSD slot +1*SATA 3.0 SSD/HDD slots (install externally), also it support boot from TF card slot and it also support PXE/AWOL/Watchdog/GPIO etc. which is perfect for your firewall appliance、VM、Router、home Server needs.
- 【2xSFP+ 10GbE + 4x2.5GbE】This Firewall Router equipped with 2xIntel 82599ES 10gbe network card and 4*Intel i226-V network card speed maximum up to 2.5GbE(need other device like router, cables etc. also support 2.5Gbe/10gbe)which can bring you more faster and professional network usage(some system not release drivers yet) suggest to install version of below systems: pf-sense plus 23.0X or CE 2.7.X, OPNsense 22.1, OpenWrt, ROS7, ESXI 8 , Proxmox, CentOS etc).
- 【4G LTE Function supported】This model also support 4G LTE function(mini PCIE slot for 4G modem) and SIM card slot which you can use it as a IOT devices for your server.
- 【Quality With Warranty】If you have any questions or requirements(like OS installation/ drives/bios updates etc.) on OAKNODE Firewall mini pc MGNASN, PLEASE feel free to contact us. We offered 12 Months warranty for it and WE'LL REPLY YOUR Questions within 12 hours(during Workdays).
Why APIs are the center of the problem
APIs expose business functions and data directly. Mobile apps, partner integrations, browsers, internal services, and newer AI applications all depend on them. They change rapidly and often accept structured, authenticated requests, so a malicious request can look normal to a signature-based filter.
Discovery comes before protection
Cloudflare says machine-learning discovery found 33% more public-facing API endpoints than customers knew about. An unknown endpoint has no confirmed owner, lifecycle status, authentication requirement, data classification, or retirement plan. Discovery is therefore a control only when it leads to ownership, policy, monitoring, and remediation.
Negative and positive security models
A negative model permits traffic unless it matches a known bad signature. It is effective for familiar attack patterns and broad web protection, but weaker against novel abuse and business-logic attacks.
A positive model defines the valid contract: methods, paths, fields, data types, authentication context, and sometimes permitted sequences. Requests outside that contract can be rejected before reaching the application. Cloudflare reported that 66.6% of API traffic receiving Layer 7 security was primarily protected by traditional negative WAF rules rather than specialized positive API rules.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Rank #3
- BUSINESS READY - pfSense+ software updates included for product lifetime. Netgate TAC Lite technical support included. One year hardware warranty included.
- COMPLETE - Pre-loaded with pfSense+ software to get up and running fast. Simply unbox it and start customizing for your secure edge networking needs. Free help with setup from our expert Technical Assistance Center (TAC) available 24/7/365.
- POWERFUL - A dual core ARM Cortex-A53 1.2 GHz delivers near gigabit routing of common home iPerf3 traffic and in excess of 650 Mbps of firewall throughput.
- COMPACT - Low power draw, a compact form factor, and silent operation allow it to run unnoticed when placed on a desktop, wall, or rack.
- FLEXIBLE - Three (3) 1 GbE switched (WAN/LAN/OPT) ports allow you to configure three separate 1 GbE switched ports for upto a gigabit of bi-directional traffic.
Positive validation requires accurate, maintained schemas and careful rollout; it can break undocumented but legitimate clients. It also cannot decide whether an authorized user is scraping records, abusing a refund flow, or using excessive permissions. Authorization, business-logic testing, and behavioral monitoring remain necessary.
Controls an API program needs
- Continuous discovery and an authoritative endpoint inventory.
- Authentication and authorization matched to the data and operation.
- Schema and input validation, with separate treatment for administrative and privileged methods.
- Rate limits based on identity, endpoint, token, risk, and business context—not only source IP.
- Detection of enumeration, scraping, token misuse, unusual geography, and abnormal response sizes.
- Version lifecycle controls that retire undocumented and deprecated endpoints.
Why speed-to-exploit changes the response model
Cloudflare reported that one newly disclosed zero-day was exploited 22 minutes after its proof of concept was published. That example does not mean every vulnerability is exploited that quickly, but it demonstrates why a weeks-long process for internet-facing systems can be unsafe.
Organizations need an asset inventory and emergency playbook before a disclosure arrives. Temporary controls—virtual patching, managed rules, access restriction, endpoint isolation, or disabling a feature—can reduce exposure while a permanent fix is prepared. Teams should preserve logs and investigate indicators: exposure is not proof of compromise, and an absence of an alert is not proof of safety.
DDoS and automated traffic require nuance
Cloudflare said DDoS attacks represented 37.1% of application traffic it mitigated during the observation period. It also said bots generated 31.2% of all observed traffic and that 93% of bot traffic was unverified. “Unverified” can include benign or beneficial automation; it is not a synonym for malicious.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteRank #4
- 【CPU】Intel Pentium J3710 4-Core/4-Thread processor, up to 2.64GHz, with 2MB L2 Cache and 6W TDP. Supports AES-NI and suitable for firewall, router, VPN and other network applications.
- 【Ports & Expansions】Equipped with 4 x 2.5GbE Intel i226-v LAN ports. Includes 2 x USB3.0, 1 x HDMI. 1 x VGA ports.Supports optional Wi-Fi and 3G/4G module expansion, plus a VESA mounting kit.
- 【Fanless & Low-Power Design】6W fanless design with an aluminum alloy chassis for quiet, low-maintenance operation. Design for 24/7 continuous use and suitable for home networks, small office and network labs.
- 【RAM & Storage】Includes 8G DDR3 RAM and a 128GB mSATA SSD. Supports up to 8GB RAM and 512GB mSATA storage. HDD storage is not supported. Compact 5.27 x 4.98 x 1.43-inch design weighs only apporximately 500g.
- 【Warranty & Support】Tested with pfSense, OPNsense, Ubuntu and other popular open-sourse OS. Supports Proxmox VE for virtualization and home lab applications. Includes a 12-month hardware warranty and lifetime technical support. (Press "DEL" to the BIOS)
Volumetric attacks test bandwidth and capacity, while application-layer attacks can be low-volume but exhaust a database, search function, login service, or expensive transaction. A resilient design combines network and application-layer protection, origin shielding, caching where appropriate, identity-aware rate limits, and a definition of legitimate automation. Blocking every bot can damage search visibility, accessibility tools, monitoring, and business integrations.
Cloudflare’s 2025 Q3 report advises organizations using on-premises appliances or on-demand scrubbing to reassess whether those arrangements provide sufficient scale and speed. That is a planning consideration, not a requirement to discard every appliance.
Third-party code expands the attack surface
Cloudflare reported averages of 47.1 third-party code components and 49.6 outbound connections to third-party resources per organization. Analytics, advertising, payment widgets, chat tools, and other browser-loaded services can create simultaneous security, privacy, availability, and data-transfer dependencies.
- Maintain an inventory of every external script, domain, owner, purpose, and data access.
- Remove unused dependencies and minimize privileges for those that remain.
- Use integrity checks, content-security policies, and browser permission controls where compatible.
- Review vendor security practices, change notifications, breach obligations, and subcontractors.
- Monitor behavioral changes rather than assuming a previously approved script remains unchanged.
A practical modernization sequence
- Map the public attack surface. Inventory domains, applications, APIs, cloud accounts, exposed services, origins, and third-party scripts; assign an owner to every item.
- Close immediate visibility gaps. Find undocumented endpoints, direct-to-origin paths, expired API versions, and internet-facing systems without centralized logs.
- Match API controls to risk. Enforce authentication, authorization, schemas, rate limits, and monitoring by operation and identity.
- Set emergency vulnerability deadlines. Tier internet-facing assets, subscribe to vendor advisories and exploit intelligence, and rehearse virtual-patching or temporary-blocking procedures.
- Make DDoS and bot protection continuous. Cover network and application layers, test failover and origin protection, and document legitimate automation.
- Govern dependencies. Reduce third-party code, constrain what it can access, and review behavior and vendor commitments.
- Test recovery. Retain enough telemetry for forensics, exercise incident-response plans, and verify that critical services can be restored.
Choosing an architecture or provider
Cloudflare is one possible edge-centered architecture, not a universal winner. Buyers should evaluate the capability and operating model rather than a product label.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsBest Value
- 【CPU Optimized for Firewall Mini PCs】This firewall appliance is powered by Intel Quad-Core Celeron J1900, 64-bit, up to 2.0 GHz, supporting software-based encryption. Energy-efficient and reliable, it runs 24/7 for home or small office networks, handling VPNs, multi-WAN routing, and basic firewall tasks efficiently.
- 【4×Intel i210 Ports】Equipped with four Intel i210 network controllers, each delivering up to 1 GbE for reliable multi-WAN routing, VPN connections, VLAN management, and stable performance in small office or home firewall deployments
- 【Memory & Storage】This Firewall Mini PC comes with 4 GB DDR3L RAM and a 64 GB mSATA SSD, providing reliable performance for basic networking tasks. AMI BIOS with ACPI support ensures stable system operation and energy-efficient 24/7 use
- 【Flexible System Compatibility】Compatible with Windows 10, Linux, and professional firewall systems such as pfSense, OPNsense, and VyOS, ensuring stable network management for home or small office use
- 【After-Sales Support:】This compact, fanless, and silent firewall keeps your network secure. Includes lifetime technical support and a 30-day money-back guarantee!
| Approach | Potential strengths | Important limits |
|---|---|---|
| Managed edge platform | Always-on DDoS scale, centralized WAF, bot, API, and zero-trust telemetry | Vendor dependency; careful DNS, certificate, routing, and origin configuration required |
| Cloud-provider-native controls | Natural integration with an existing AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud estate | May require more service integration and operational ownership; portability can be limited |
| Dedicated API gateway or API-security platform | Strong contract enforcement, discovery, posture, and runtime API controls | Usually needs separate DDoS, bot, edge, logging, and incident-response capabilities |
| Self-managed gateway and WAF | Deployment control and customization | Scaling, rule maintenance, discovery, observability, and response remain the team’s responsibility |
| Zero-trust access service | Identity-based access to private applications and SaaS without broad network trust | Not a replacement for public API security, WAF, or DDoS protection |
Cloudflare’s relevant offerings include WAF, API Security, Bot Management, DDoS Protection, Access, Magic Transit, and Cloudforce One. Some tiers are free or self-service, while enterprise API, network, bot, and support features can be sales-led; confirm current terms on Cloudflare’s plans page.
Alternatives include Akamai’s App & API Protector and Prolexic; Fastly Next-Gen WAF; AWS WAF, Shield, and API Gateway; Azure Web Application Firewall and Azure DDoS Protection; Google Cloud Armor; and specialized or self-managed gateways such as Kong, NGINX App Protect, and Tyk.
Questions security leaders should ask
- Can the program discover unknown APIs, hosts, services, origins, and third-party dependencies continuously?
- Can policies use identity, device, token, endpoint, and behavioral context?
- Can the team deploy a compensating control within minutes during active exploitation?
- Are DDoS controls always on, and do they cover both network and application layers?
- Can logs support detection, compliance, and forensic investigation with defined retention?
- What happens when an API schema changes or a legitimate client is undocumented?
- How are business-logic abuse and excessive permissions tested?
- What are the portability, egress, request, bandwidth, protected-asset, and support costs?
- Which controls protect the origin, private applications, backups, endpoints, and recovery process outside the edge?
The central buying warning is simple: an edge platform can reduce exposure to hostile internet traffic, but it cannot repair insecure code, excessive permissions, vulnerable dependencies, weak identity controls, missing backups, or an unprepared incident-response team.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
