Cloudflare said its infrastructure is experiencing an “unusual surge in traffic,” which the company identified as the cause of a widespread global outage affecting major online services. The firm reported that engineers are still working to determine the source of the traffic spike and are deploying mitigations to stabilize network performance.
The outage has extended far beyond websites, disrupting point-of-sale terminals and connected systems used by retailers and fast-food chains, including McDonald’s. Users worldwide have also reported issues accessing everyday services such as streaming platforms, communication tools, and mobile apps linked through Cloudflare’s network.
Monitoring platforms, including Downdetector, were unable to function due to the same infrastructure disruptions, amplifying uncertainty about the full scope of the incident. Analysts note that the event underscores the systemic dependencies on Cloudflare and the vulnerability of global internet services to sudden traffic anomalies.
