Melbourne Airport has taken significant steps to enhance its web security and defend against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks by implementing Cloudflare’s web application firewall (WAF) and relocating its network perimeter to Cloudflare’s global network edge.
Upgrading Web Security and DDoS Protections at Melbourne Airport Chief Information Officer Anthony Tomai highlighted the complexity of maintaining visibility and integrating security solutions due to the diverse range of IT-supported services required to serve the airport’s 25 million annual passengers and collaborate with its 40 airline partners. The airport’s technological ecosystem supports both enterprise and operational systems, presenting a formidable challenge.
Cheuk Wong, Melbourne Airport’s Head of Cyber Security, emphasized the challenge posed by the large number of network users, especially with the inclusion of free public Wi-Fi, which sees over 100,000 daily connections to the network.
The partnership with Cloudflare began with Melbourne Airport conducting tests of Cloudflare’s WAF. This involved trial rulesets applied to a small group of hostnames, followed by the activation of WAF rules across the entire system. Incident Response Manager Evan Thomson noted that this swift action led to a reinforcement of protections for publicly facing assets, securing external URLs and preventing problematic traffic from inappropriate international sources.
Cloudflare’s WAF not only bolstered security but also improved network visibility and facilitated more flexible modification of protection policies.
Furthermore, prompted by credible cyber threats highlighted in global media, Melbourne Airport decided to further invest in DDoS mitigation. This led to the adoption of Cloudflare’s Magic Transit solution, which involved relocating the network perimeter to Cloudflare’s global network edge within a rapid 36-hour timeframe.
Cloudflare’s Magic Transit Solution Cloudflare’s Magic Transit solution provides robust protection against DDoS attacks and enhances network traffic acceleration. It leverages Cloudflare’s content delivery network and adheres to established networking protocols for routing and encapsulation. By swiftly implementing this solution, Melbourne Airport fortified its defenses and elevated its cybersecurity posture, ensuring the security and reliability of its IT infrastructure.
