DNS and TLS posture
Record inventory, what is proxied versus exposed, origin IP leakage through unproxied records and history, TLS mode (Full Strict as the goal), HSTS, and certificate handling.
Cloudflare security management
Cloudflare Security Management: make the edge protect the origin, not just sit in front of it.
Cloudflare in front of a WordPress site is powerful — and routinely misconfigured. The WAF logs instead of blocking, the origin answers direct-to-IP requests that bypass the edge entirely, and rules accumulate until nobody remembers what they do. This service configures Cloudflare deliberately and keeps it that way, drawing on security management experience across a fleet of more than 130 websites.
Never send credentials, private keys, backup archives, or confidential source code through this website.
- Best for
- WordPress sites and fleets already on Cloudflare, or moving to it
- Track record
- Security management across 130+ websites (public portfolio entry)
- Focus
- DNS, TLS, WAF, origin protection, access, and change discipline
- Model
- One-time configuration review, or ongoing management
- Typical fee
- $300–$750 for the review · from $75 per month for ongoing management
The problem
Cloudflare protects exactly as well as it is configured
The most common Cloudflare finding is not a missing feature — it is a protection that exists but does nothing. Managed WAF rulesets left in log-only mode. A proxied domain whose origin server still answers anyone who knows its IP address, making every edge rule bypassable. TLS set to a mode that encrypts the browser leg while the origin leg stays unverified. Rate limiting configured once for a long-gone attack and never revisited.
The opposite failure is just as expensive: over-aggressive rules that challenge real customers, break checkout or wp-admin, and get switched off entirely the first time they cost a sale — leaving the site less protected than before the rules existed.
Both failures come from the same cause: Cloudflare is usually configured once, under pressure, and never reviewed. Treating the edge as a security system with an owner, a baseline, and change discipline is what this service provides.
Scope
What the Cloudflare review and management covers
WAF and traffic rules
Managed rulesets in enforcing mode, custom rules that match this site’s real attack surface, rate limiting on login and checkout, and bot handling that distinguishes crawlers from credential stuffers.
Origin protection
Making the edge mandatory: origin firewalling to Cloudflare ranges, authenticated origin pulls where supported, and closing the direct-to-IP bypass that invalidates everything else.
Administrative access
Protecting wp-admin and other sensitive paths at the edge, Cloudflare account security itself — members, MFA, scoped API tokens — and Zero Trust access where it fits.
Caching without leaks
Cache rules that accelerate the store or site without ever caching carts, accounts, or private content — the classic Cloudflare-plus-WooCommerce mistake.
Change discipline
A documented baseline, audit-log review, token and member lifecycle, and drift checks — so the configuration that was right in January is still right in June.
Fleet-proven
Configuration discipline that held across 130+ websites
This service is built from operational security management of a fleet of more than 130 websites behind Cloudflare — where DNS, TLS, WAF behavior, access controls, and change discipline had to remain consistent across every property, not just survive on one. The public portfolio entry for that engagement is linked from the specialist profile.
Fleet experience changes how a single site gets configured: the rules that survive contact with real traffic, the settings that quietly break stores, and the drift that creeps in after handover are all known in advance rather than discovered on your domain.
Method
From current state to a defensible baseline
- 01
Review the current configuration
Inventory DNS, TLS, WAF, rules, members, and tokens; verify whether the origin is actually reachable only through the edge; and document what each existing rule does.
- 02
Fix and harden in stages
Close origin bypass first, then move protections from log-only to enforcing in stages — watching real traffic so legitimate customers and crawlers are never locked out.
- 03
Document the baseline
Record what is configured, why, and who owns each control, so the next administrator inherits a system instead of an archaeology project.
- 04
Keep it that way (optional)
Ongoing management reviews drift, audit logs, new Cloudflare features, and rule effectiveness on a regular cadence — or hands the documented baseline to your team.
Common questions
Questions about this engagement
Do I need a paid Cloudflare plan?
Often no. The free plan supports proxying, TLS, managed WAF basics, and firewall rules that cover most WordPress sites well. Some controls — advanced rate limiting, bot management, certain access features — need paid tiers, and the review says which are worth paying for in your case rather than defaulting to an upsell.
Does Cloudflare replace WordPress or server security?
No. The edge filters what reaches the origin; it does not fix a vulnerable plugin, a weak admin password, or an exposed server. Cloudflare is one layer — this service makes that layer real, and pairs naturally with the WordPress and server audits for the layers behind it.
Will stricter WAF rules break my site or checkout?
That risk is exactly why changes are staged: rules run in log mode first, real traffic is reviewed, and enforcement is enabled with defined exceptions. Checkout, login, APIs, and known integrations are tested as part of the rollout, not discovered by customers.
What access do you need to my Cloudflare account?
A scoped member invitation or API token with the least privilege the work requires — never shared passwords. Access follows the same rules as every engagement: agreed after scoping, exchanged securely, and removed when the work is complete.
What does Cloudflare security management cost?
A one-time configuration review is typically scoped like the Linux server audit ($300–$750); ongoing management follows the managed-security model (from $75/month per site, fleet pricing scoped individually). The written proposal states the exact fee.