This makes the client only load self-hosted scripts, or scripts only from the specified origins, among the other directives CSP allows (e.g. restricting styles, images, frames, etc.): https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Guides/CSP
Yup, I explicitly had all anaytics turned off. But had a few sites using Cloudflare for caching. Now I'm checking and seeing this on all of them. This is gross and unacceptable. "Caching" does not mean "modifying my site".
I can’t recall if there was a setting to enable reverse proxy, if there was it was On by default since I didn’t expect to have reverse proxy enabled as well. But you can also rp without injecting a script. That’s overdoing it.
Yes, they add the js if "web analytics" is enabled. I believe I had to manually enable it on my old sites though. Maybe it's enabled by default when adding new domains?
Are you using CF as a proxy or only for DNS? I ask because I just went to check my domains on the dashboard (some purchased a few years ago, one purchased just a couple days ago), and none of them have Web Analytics enabled.
I have all my domains set to DNS only, so no CF proxy. Wondering if that is why?
I just went and switched them to DNS only, they were on Proxy by default, that also should have been opt-in. Maybe I missed the option while switching the nameservers because I did it in a hurry but still.
A simple screen when I did the switch that requires explicitly ‘Enable Proxy’ or ‘skip for now’ would have been enough. Also for ‘Enable Analytics’. None of these existed, or not very obvious otherwise I’d seen them.
We use Cloudflare tunnels for connecting distributed workers to central infrastructure. Haven't seen this on tunnel traffic, but good to know it happens on nameserver-managed sites. Another reason to audit what your CDN injects — same applies to checking your security headers regularly.
Oh gosh I didn’t enable anything like that also. I just wanted the nameservers in order to serve the bucket under my subdomain. What else is there I wonder?
Noticed this the other day as well. Sketchy as fuck. I didn't have analytics enabled. I had to go and enable to get access to the option to turn this off
Surprise! The man in the middle man-in-the-middles!
This is only the beginning, when you’ll get used to this they’ll do worse and worse, enshittification, remember?
Cloudflare is doing this already. Once they had enough monopoly power, they started a program to block all bots that don't undergo invasive KYC procedures. Eventually, they might become a KYC broker for regular browser users too. The free internet is over.
[delayed]
An alternative: <meta http-equiv="Content-Security-Policy" content="script-src 'self' https://only-scripts-allowed-from-here.com">
This makes the client only load self-hosted scripts, or scripts only from the specified origins, among the other directives CSP allows (e.g. restricting styles, images, frames, etc.): https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Guides/CSP
Indeed, https://blog.cloudflare.com/the-rum-diaries-enabling-web-ana...
Perhaps it drowned in newslop when announced?
The RUM Diaries: Enabling Web Analytics by Default
(2 points, 11 months ago): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45291323
(1 point, 11 months ago): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45339321
Yikes! I see this too:
<script type="module" src="https://static.cloudflareinsights.com/beacon.min.js/v4513226..." integrity="sha512-ZE9pZaUXND66v380QUtch/5sE9tPFh2zg45pR2PB0CVkCtOREv2AJKkSidISWkysEuQ0EH8faUU5du78bx87UQ==" data-cf-beacon='{"version":"2024.11.0","token":"c0859b51a7804ab5a9cc8e9e2b2c4cde","r":1}' crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
Yup, I explicitly had all anaytics turned off. But had a few sites using Cloudflare for caching. Now I'm checking and seeing this on all of them. This is gross and unacceptable. "Caching" does not mean "modifying my site".
> injected a JS analytics snippet in my HTML-only JS-free site textlog.cc
Cloudflare injected hostile code into a site they are not even hosting? If it's HTTPS, how do they even do that?
Does it violate the "exceeds authorized access" provision in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act?
The most likely answer is the person accidentally enabled the cloudflare reverse proxy without understanding what they were doing.
It seems incredibly unlikely cloudflare does this when just DNS hosting, if for no other reason then that this would break so many things.
I can’t recall if there was a setting to enable reverse proxy, if there was it was On by default since I didn’t expect to have reverse proxy enabled as well. But you can also rp without injecting a script. That’s overdoing it.
> in order to enable R2 bucket serving through my own subdomain
I suspect it happens somewhere here
Yes, they add the js if "web analytics" is enabled. I believe I had to manually enable it on my old sites though. Maybe it's enabled by default when adding new domains?
No, I hadn’t enabled for any site. I had to enable first to turn it off.
Are you using CF as a proxy or only for DNS? I ask because I just went to check my domains on the dashboard (some purchased a few years ago, one purchased just a couple days ago), and none of them have Web Analytics enabled.
I have all my domains set to DNS only, so no CF proxy. Wondering if that is why?
I just went and switched them to DNS only, they were on Proxy by default, that also should have been opt-in. Maybe I missed the option while switching the nameservers because I did it in a hurry but still.
> that also should have been opt-in.
The proxy is like 99% of why people use Cloudflare
A simple screen when I did the switch that requires explicitly ‘Enable Proxy’ or ‘skip for now’ would have been enough. Also for ‘Enable Analytics’. None of these existed, or not very obvious otherwise I’d seen them.
Took me a minute to realise this isn't 1.1.1.1 (which Cloudflare also runs), but their original website DNS hosting service.
Isn't this well known when using CF as a proxy? Not sure how they would provide traffic / DDoS telemetry otherwise.
They're serving the HTML, they have every ability to track individual web requests without modifying the content they're serving.
100% But this does not give you any useful personal data :)
Or data for the increasingly invasive Cloudflare captcha.
We use Cloudflare tunnels for connecting distributed workers to central infrastructure. Haven't seen this on tunnel traffic, but good to know it happens on nameserver-managed sites. Another reason to audit what your CDN injects — same applies to checking your security headers regularly.
yep, last website I did was JS free 100% except that pesky cloudflare script
Is there an opt-out mechanism at least? CF is burning goodwill in months it built over the last decade.
Yes there is. I have it disabled on mine:
https://limereader.com/
You left out the part about how you use them as a reverse proxy, which is decoupled from DNS. One is coincidental; the other required.
If they can inject script, they can also snoop on all your cleartext traffic without you knowing....
Oh gosh I didn’t enable anything like that also. I just wanted the nameservers in order to serve the bucket under my subdomain. What else is there I wonder?
Ok to turn this off you go Domains → Overview → your.site → DNS → Records → then Edit each entry to DNS Only (gray cloud). MITM gone now (I hope).
Indeed. I have several domains using cf for dns only and they don't/can't inject anything into those sites.
To add to your experience: It was also very hard, for me, to find the setting that disables this JavaScript.
Noticed this the other day as well. Sketchy as fuck. I didn't have analytics enabled. I had to go and enable to get access to the option to turn this off
Surprise! The man in the middle man-in-the-middles! This is only the beginning, when you’ll get used to this they’ll do worse and worse, enshittification, remember?
If I wouldn't know it better I'd sometimes think some of the big tech shops are just fronts for centralizing the net.
Cloudflare is doing this already. Once they had enough monopoly power, they started a program to block all bots that don't undergo invasive KYC procedures. Eventually, they might become a KYC broker for regular browser users too. The free internet is over.
#savetheinternet