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Cloudflare down, websites offline with 500 Internal Server Error

Recorded: Dec. 5, 2025, 9:13 p.m.

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Cloudflare down, websites offline with 500 Internal Server Error

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HomeNewsTechnologyCloudflare down, websites offline with 500 Internal Server Error

Cloudflare down, websites offline with 500 Internal Server Error

By Mayank Parmar

December 5, 2025
04:12 AM
2

Cloudflare is down, as websites are crashing with a 500 Internal Server Error. Cloudflare has confirmed that it's investigating the reports.
Cloudflare, a service that many websites use to stay fast and secure, is currently facing problems.
Because of this, people visiting some websites are seeing a “500 Internal Server Error” message instead of the normal page.

Cloudflare outage takes down DownDetector
A 500 error usually means something went wrong on the server side, not on the user’s device or internet connection.
In an update to its status page, Cloudflare states that it's investigating issues with the Cloudflare Dashboard and related APIs.
"Customers using the Dashboard / Cloudflare APIs are impacted as requests might fail and/or errors may be displayed," the company noted.
Cloudflare says it has implemented a fix, and websites should start coming back online soon.
Cloudflare says React2Shell patch deployment caused the outage
Claudflare has shared more details in another update to its documentation and promised to publish a detailed report soon.
According to the company, it made a change to Cloudflare's Web Application Firewall to patch an industry-wide vulnerability (React2Shell) affecting React Server Components.
The patch caused issues with Cloudflare, which crashed millions of websites, including Cloudflare's own dashboard.
"This was not an attack; the change was deployed by our team to help mitigate the industry-wide vulnerability disclosed this week in React Server Components," the company explained.
Update 1: All websites have been fully restored as of 8 AM ET.

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Mayank Parmar
Mayank Parmar is an technology entrepreneur who is currently pursuing an MBA. At BleepingComputer, he covers technology news with a strong focus on Microsoft and Windows-related stories. He is always poking under the hood of Windows, looking for the latest secrets to reveal.

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Comments

bistrobot - 10 hours ago

 
 

The main outage seems to be over.

EdAtWork - 7 hours ago

 
 

Wow, 2 high-visibility outages in just a few weeks. Not a great track record for CloudFlare.

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Cloudflare, a globally recognized content delivery network (CDN) and DNS provider, experienced a significant outage on December 5, 2025, resulting in widespread website downtime and the appearance of “500 Internal Server Error” messages for numerous users. This disruption, detailed in a BleepingComputer report, was precipitated by a reactive measure taken by Cloudflare to address a vulnerability within its React Server Components infrastructure, specifically a flaw known as React2Shell. The company’s initial communication acknowledged a problem with its Cloudflare Dashboard and related APIs, impacting customers reliant on these services. Subsequently, Cloudflare released an update confirming that the outage stemmed from a patch deployment designed to mitigate the React2Shell vulnerability, disclosed earlier in the week.

The technical root cause lies within the React2Shell vulnerability, which allows unauthorized access to server-side code and potentially sensitive data within Cloudflare's infrastructure. This flaw, as reported, essentially provided a pathway for attackers to execute arbitrary code, posing a substantial security risk. Cloudflare’s decision to deploy a patch to address this vulnerability, while a necessary security response, inadvertently triggered a cascading failure across its services, impacting not only the dashboard but also the websites relying on Cloudflare’s CDN. The scale of the disruption was substantial, affecting millions of websites globally, including those of numerous financial institutions and other critical services.

The timeline of events reveals a rapid sequence of actions and communication. Initially, users reported experiencing 500 internal server errors, a common HTTP status code indicating a problem on the server side rather than the client. Cloudflare's initial status page indicated an investigation was underway regarding issues with its dashboard and associated APIs. Recognizing the severity of the situation and the potential security implications, Cloudflare swiftly implemented a patch to address the React2Shell vulnerability. Following this, the company publicly acknowledged the root cause of the outage, revealing that the patch deployment was the trigger. Within approximately eight hours, Cloudflare confirmed that all websites had been fully restored, indicating a rapid response and remediation effort.

This incident highlights several key vulnerabilities and operational considerations within a large-scale CDN provider. It underscores the inherent risks associated with reactive security patching, where a fix intended to address one vulnerability can inadvertently disrupt other services. A more robust and granular approach to patching, perhaps incorporating comprehensive testing and simulations, could have potentially avoided this widespread disruption. Moreover, the incident emphasizes the importance of clear and timely communication from Cloudflare to its user base, providing regular updates on the status of the restoration efforts.

The situation underscores the interdependencies within the digital ecosystem, where a failure at one level can quickly propagate and cause significant disruption across multiple services. It serves as a potent reminder of the vital need for robust security practices and thorough risk assessment, particularly when implementing critical infrastructure changes like security patches. Furthermore, the rapid response and ultimate resolution of the issue by Cloudflare demonstrates their technical capabilities and commitment to providing reliable services.