Project Galileo Joins GCA Toolkit for Journalists

Cloudflare launched Project Galileo in 2014 to offer free security products to organizations that face targeted cyberattacks due to their critical work. The program covers human rights defenders, independent media, journalists, and groups that support democratic institutions. Today, more than 1,500 organizations across 111 countries are protected under the initiative.

Independent media and journalism outlets make up the majority of protected organizations. These groups face both physical and digital threats in response to their reporting. Between July 2020 and March 2021, Project Galileo sites operated by journalism and media organizations experienced more than seven billion cyberattacks — over 30 million attacks per day. Cloudflare published these figures as part of the Project Galileo 7th anniversary Radar Dashboard.

Expanding Protection Through the Global Cyber Alliance

Cloudflare previously documented the cyber threats facing independent journalists and media organizations to help establish security best practices. That work led to collaboration with groups that offer direct support to journalists, including the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), an international, cross-sector nonprofit focused on systemic cyber risk. GCA provides free, accessible tools for small businesses, journalists, and election officials worldwide. Each toolkit includes guidance on password management, data encryption, backups, secure email and browsing, antivirus protection, and DNS security.

"As journalism increasingly, if not exclusively, relies on connected resources to investigate and report news, these capabilities offer tremendous benefit, particularly as newsrooms face budget constraints. At the same time, connected resources if not secured properly can unknowingly risk journalists, their sources, and the developments they cover," said Megan Stifel, Global Policy Officer and Capacity & Resilience Program Director at the Global Cyber Alliance. "Resources such as Project Galileo play an important role in helping journalists protect themselves and their work, enabling them to report the news on their terms. GCA is pleased to add this resource to our free Cybersecurity Toolkit for Journalists, which is one of three toolkits available through our Capacity & Resilience Program."

Tools in the Journalist Toolkit

Project Galileo is now included in the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Journalists alongside several free security tools:

  • DNS Security with WARP: Cloudflare VPN (WARP) on devices or routers routes traffic to Cloudflare's DNS Resolver (1.1.1.2), which automatically blocks known malware before the browser can load it.
  • End-to-End Encryption with Cloudflare SSL: Public-facing news websites rely on trust, and Cloudflare SSL keeps visitor data private and secure. SSL also authenticates web servers, which helps prevent attackers from creating fake sites to trick users and steal data.
  • Cloudflare for Teams products Access & Gateway: These tools support media organizations with secure remote work. Access protects internal applications, and Gateway provides DNS filtering so journalists can keep sensitive information secure and avoid common cyberattacks. A local news outlet in New Jersey uses Gateway to filter and block malicious traffic and phishing attempts.

Cloudflare says it will continue working with the Global Cyber Alliance on guidance, tools, and resources aimed at improving security for at-risk individuals and organizations.