This month marks twelve years since Cloudflare launched a bold initiative rooted in a straightforward principle: no one should be silenced or pushed offline simply because a more powerful entity opposes their views. Today, Project Galileo offers complimentary cybersecurity protection to over 3,400 websites run by journalists, human rights advocates, and various nonprofit organizations across 120 countries. We remain committed to the belief that a stronger Internet is one where every person with an idea can connect with a worldwide audience.
Each year, on Project Galileo’s anniversary, we unveil new products, initiatives, and strategic alliances. To mark our 12th anniversary this year, we’re releasing our inaugural comprehensive report on cyberattacks aimed at civil society, publishing case studies that examine the security challenges faced by 16 Project Galileo participants, and welcoming new project partners.
Introducing a new annual report on cyberattacks against global civil society
With Project Galileo now encompassing 3,400 domains from organizations in over 120 countries, Cloudflare has gathered distinctive insights into the cyber threats, attacks, and patterns directed at civil society — a vital foundation of global democracy. Furthermore, because the Cloudflare network extends across more than 335 cities in 125 countries and handles traffic for over 20% of the web, we were also able to benchmark attacks on civil society against those targeting the broader Internet. The complete report is available here.
This year’s findings reveal that civil society organizations were attacked more often, and frequently with greater intensity, than other Internet users. Cyberattacks frequently aligned with pivotal moments in civil society’s activities, such as releasing investigative reports or engaging in public advocacy campaigns. Our principal findings include:
DDoS attacks represented the most prevalent cyber threat facing civil society. Their most notable characteristic was their length, with some lasting for days or even weeks.
Civil society groups encountered attempts to exploit website vulnerabilities at a rate exceeding seven times that of other Cloudflare customers. Media organizations bore a particularly heavy burden.
Journalists working in exile experienced malicious traffic at a rate nearly four times greater than journalism organizations as a whole.
Close to 10% of all emails Cloudflare handled for civil society contained potential phishing content.
We close our report with a call to action: make basic cybersecurity accessible and affordable for everyone, increase transparency around cyberattacks and Internet shutdowns, and build AI and post-quantum protections into security tools as a standard feature. We hope this report can serve as a valuable resource for civil society, policymakers, and the general public looking to understand and address cyberattacks. Going forward, we intend to publish it each year, enabling us to track and compare cyber threat trends over time.
Alongside the report, Cloudflare has also published the following qualitative case studies that provide deeper context around each organization’s unique security needs.
Organization | Description | Country/Region of Operation |
|---|---|---|
SHARE Foundation | Nonprofit championing privacy, free expression, and broader digital rights. | Serbia |
Hledaczvirat | Online platform and database for reuniting lost pets with their owners and connecting people to animal shelters. | Czech Republic |
Iran Watch / The Wisconsin Project | Research initiative monitoring Iran’s weapons capabilities and nonproliferation concerns, operated by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. | United States |
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists | Nonprofit media outlet reporting on nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies. | United States |
The Royal Meteorological Society | Professional society for weather and climate science, advancing meteorology research, education, and professional certification. | United Kingdom |
Project Ainita | An engineering collective creating tools and conducting research for human rights groups, lawyers, and activists working in high-risk settings. | Global |
Ukraine War Archive | Digital repository documenting and safeguarding evidence of war crimes and events from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. | Ukraine |
Our World in Data | Research and data publication addressing global challenges such as poverty, health, and climate. | United Kingdom |
Hague Institute for Innovation of Law | Think-and-do tank dedicated to building accessible justice systems and helping people resolve legal problems worldwide. | Netherlands |
Center for American Progress | Progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. | United States |
Sea Shepherd Brazil | Brazilian branch of Sea Shepherd, a marine conservation group protecting ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems. | Brazil |
elTOQUE | Independent digital media platform covering Cuba, featuring news, economic reporting, and exchange rate monitoring. | Global |
Humanitix | Nonprofit ticketing service that donates booking fees to children’s education and health charities. | Australia |
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) | Global investigative journalism network uncovering organized crime and corruption. | Netherlands |
Activist Rights | Legal resource providing activists with information about their rights and legal risks during protests and campaigns. | Australia |
China Digital Times | Bilingual news site covering censorship, human rights, and political developments in China. | United States |
Project Galileo’s success depends on its 59 civil society partners. Every organization that applies to the program is evaluated and approved by one of these partners. These groups generously contribute their time and expertise, often reviewing numerous applications.
Here is the paraphrased version:
Every day, we work to ensure our services reach organizations that truly need them.
Over the years, these partnerships have not only helped Project Galileo grow into what it is today, but have also sparked entirely new initiatives. For example, we launched an email security collaboration with Protect.ngo (previously known as the CyberPeace Institute) and began supporting Internet measurement efforts at public schools through UNICEF’s Giga project.
For some time now, one of Project Galileo’s key objectives has been to extend its reach to organizations beyond North America and Europe. As part of this effort, we have attended regional events such as RightsCon in Costa Rica (2023) and Taiwan (2025) to connect directly with local digital rights groups. We have also brought on new partners who contribute their own established networks and communities to the program. Last year, for instance, we welcomed two new partners from the Asia-Pacific region: EngageMedia and the OpenCulture Foundation.
With the new services we recently introduced to Project Galileo — designed to help local news organizations shield their content from AI crawlers — our partnership focus this year centered on groups that support journalists. We are excited to announce three new partners:
Organization | Description | Country/Region of Operation |
|---|---|---|
International Center for Journalists | A nonprofit dedicated to advancing high-quality independent journalism. It offers training, fellowships, mentorship, and funding to journalists, with a particular focus on helping reporters make the most of digital tools and technologies. | Headquartered in the United States, with programs supporting journalists across more than 180 countries. |
Media Cluster Norway | An innovation hub focused on next-generation media technology. It provides collaborative research spaces, funding opportunities, business incubation, and networking events for over 100 creators and local newsrooms. | Norway |
NGO-ISAC | A nonprofit network committed to defending civil society against cybersecurity threats. It delivers threat intelligence, coordinated defense efforts, training, and support to a network of more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations. | United States |
Continuing to protect civil society around the world
Today’s new report, case studies, and partner announcements all serve Project Galileo’s core mission: making sure that cyberattacks do not silence organizations working in critical, vulnerable fields like journalism and human rights.
Looking ahead, we remain dedicated to finding new ways to broaden our protections for at-risk groups across the globe. If your organization is interested in receiving protection through Project Galileo, please visit cloudflare.com/galileo.
