A dozen years of defending civil society from cyberattacks

Project Galileo, Cloudflare's initiative to provide free cybersecurity services to journalists, human rights defenders, and nonprofit organizations, marks its 12th anniversary this month. What began as an effort to keep vulnerable groups online now protects more than 3,400 websites across 120 countries. The program's premise remains unchanged: access to a global audience should not depend on having the resources to withstand targeted digital attacks.

For the anniversary, Cloudflare is publishing its first comprehensive report on cyberattacks against civil society, along with case studies profiling the security needs of 16 participating organizations, and announcing new program partners.

Civil society faces more frequent, more intense attacks

With over 3,400 protected domains and a network spanning more than 335 cities in 125 countries, Cloudflare has accumulated unique visibility into the threats targeting civil society. Because over 20% of the web sits behind the Cloudflare network, the report also allows for comparison between attacks on civil society and attacks on the Internet at large.

The data shows civil society organizations were targeted more frequently and more severely than other Internet users. Attacks often aligned with pivotal moments in their work, such as publishing investigative stories or running public advocacy campaigns. Key findings include:

  • DDoS attacks were the most common threat, characterized less by their size than by their duration, with some lasting for days or even weeks.
  • Civil society groups faced vulnerability exploitation attempts at a rate over seven times higher than other Cloudflare customers, with media organizations hit especially hard.
  • Journalists working in exile experienced malicious traffic at a rate nearly four times higher than journalism organizations overall.
  • Roughly 10% of all emails processed for civil society organizations contained potential phishing material.

The report concludes with recommendations for improving security for vulnerable groups: making affordable cybersecurity universally accessible, increasing transparency around cyberattacks and Internet shutdowns, and building AI and post-quantum protections into tools by default. Cloudflare plans to produce the report annually to track threat trends over time.

New partners expand global reach

Project Galileo's operations depend on its 59 civil society partners, who review every application to the program. These volunteers often handle multiple applications each day, ensuring services reach organizations that genuinely need them. The partnerships have also spawned new initiatives, including an email security collaboration with Protect.ngo and work supporting school Internet connectivity through UNICEF's Giga project.

A longstanding goal has been expanding the program beyond North America and Europe. Cloudflare has attended regional events such as RightsCon in Costa Rica and Taiwan to engage directly with local digital rights groups. Last year, EngageMedia and the OpenCulture Foundation joined as partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

This year's partner focus reflects recently added Project Galileo services that help local news organizations shield their content from AI crawlers. Three new partners have been announced, all serving journalist communities.

Protecting essential voices

The anniversary report, case studies, and new partnerships all serve Project Galileo's core mission: preventing cyberattacks from silencing organizations working in journalism, human rights, and other essential fields. Organizations seeking protection can apply through the program's website.