June 2013 Summaries

CloudFlare has introduced Mirage 2.0, an improved version of its feature designed to enhance image loading speed on mobile devices. The new version uses image virtualization, storing two versions of images - a full-resolution one and a smaller, reduced size version with embedded metadata about the original image's dimensions. This enables the Virtualized Image Packager (VIP) to load the images correctly sized for their tags on the page, improving mobile browsing speed. Mirage 2.0 also minimizes requests by streaming all images from CloudFlare's network with a single request and prioritizing image loading based on browser capabilities and connection speeds. The feature is currently in beta and will be made available to all paid Cloudflare accounts over the next few weeks.

CloudFlare will be attending HostingCon 2013 in Austin from June 16th to 18th. They have several activities planned for partners and attendees, including complimentary limousine transfers, live music during breakfast, charging stations at their booth, and limited-quantity Nerf Railguns. The company will also be hosting sponsored breakfasts each day with live music. CEO Matthew Prince will speak on an IPv6 panel discussion, while Maria Karaivanova and John Roberts from CloudFlare will co-host a talk on partnership strategies. They encourage attendees to connect with them on Twitter using the hashtag #hostingcon.

Matthew Prince of Cloudflare has discussed the company's stance on the alleged NSA PRISM program, stating that they have never been approached to participate in it or any similar programs. He emphasized their policy of challenging broad subpoenas and court orders, and supporting calls for transparency by other tech companies. The author also delved into theories about how the PRISM program might work, including breaking SSL keys, but remained skeptical. Lastly, Prince highlighted Cloudflare's use of 2048-bit keys and ECDHE cipher suites to ensure secure transactions on their network.

On World IPv6 Day, CloudFlare observed a steady growth in IPv6 usage across its network. The majority of IPv6 traffic comes from legitimate users on mobile networks, but attackers are also starting to launch attacks over the protocol. Since 2013, IPv6 connections as a percentage of total traffic have grown by 26.5%. However, even with exponential adoption rates, it will take until 2020 for IPv6 connections to surpass IPv4 ones. CloudFlare supports both IPv4 and IPv6 and plans to continue doing so until the full retirement of IPv4. Additionally, IPv6-based DDoS attacks have been observed but are currently modest in size.