Recommended HTTP policies

We recommend you add the following HTTP policies to build an Internet and SaaS app security strategy for your organization.

For additional commonly used HTTP policy examples, refer to Common HTTP policies. For more information on building HTTP policies, refer to HTTP policies.

All-HTTP-Application-InspectBypass

Bypass HTTP inspection for applications that use embedded certificates. This will help avoid any certificate pinning errors that may arise from an initial rollout.

Selector	Operator	Value	Action
Application	in	Do Not Inspect	Do Not Inspect

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "All-HTTP-Application-InspectBypass",
		"description": "Bypass HTTP inspection for applications that use embedded certificates",
		"precedence": 0,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "block",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "any(app.type.ids[*] in {16})"
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "all_http_application_inspect_bypass" {
  account_id  = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name        = "All-HTTP-Application-InspectBypass"
  description = "Bypass HTTP inspection for applications that use embedded certificates"
  precedence  = 0
  enabled     = true
  action      = "block"
  filters     = ["http"]
  traffic     = "any(app.type.ids[*] in {16})"
}

Android-HTTP-Application-InspectionBypass

Bypass HTTPS inspection for Android applications (such as Google Drive) that use certificate pinning, which is incompatible with Gateway inspection.

Selector	Operator	Value	Logic	Action
Application	in	Google Drive	And	Do Not Inspect
Passed Device Posture Checks	in	OS Version Android (OS version)

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "Android-HTTP-Application-InspectionBypass",
		"description": "Bypass HTTPS inspection for Android applications with certificate pinning",
		"precedence": 10,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "off",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "any(app.ids[] in {554})",
		"device_posture": "any(device_posture.checks.passed[] in {\"<ANDROID_VERSION_POSTURE_CHECK_UUID >\"})"
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "android_http_application_inspection_bypass" {
  account_id  = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name        = "Android-HTTP-Application-InspectionBypass"
  description = "Bypass HTTPS inspection for Android applications with certificate pinning"
  precedence  = 10
  enabled     = true
  action      = "off"
  filters     = ["http"]
  traffic     = "any(app.ids[*] in {554})"
  device_posture = "any(device_posture.checks.passed[*] in {\"${"$"}{cloudflare_zero_trust_list.android_version_posture_check.id}\"})"
}

All-HTTP-Domain-Inspection-Bypass

Bypass HTTP inspection for a custom list of domains identified as incompatible with TLS inspection.

Selector	Operator	Value	Logic	Action
Domain	in list	DomainInspectionBypass	Or	Do Not Inspect
Domain	in list	Known Domains

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "All-HTTP-Domain-Inspection-Bypass",
		"description": "Bypass HTTP inspection for a custom list of domains identified as incompatible with TLS inspection",
		"precedence": 20,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "off",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "any(http.request.domains[*] in $<DOMAIN_INSPECTION_BYPASS_LIST_UUID>) or any(http.request.domains[*] in $<KNOWN_DOMAINS_LIST_UUID>)"
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "android_http_application_inspection_bypass" {
  account_id  = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name        = "All-HTTP-Domain-Inspection-Bypass"
  description = "Bypass HTTP inspection for a custom list of domains identified as incompatible with TLS inspection"
  precedence  = 20
  enabled     = true
  action      = "off"
  filters     = ["http"]
  traffic     = "any(http.request.domains[*] in ${"$"}{cloudflare_zero_trust_list.domain_inspection_bypass_list.id}) or any(http.request.domains[*] in ${"$"}{cloudflare_zero_trust_list.known_domains_list.id})"
}

All-HTTP-SecurityRisks-Blocklist

Block security categories, such as Command and Control & Botnet and Malware, based on Cloudflare's threat intelligence.

Selector	Operator	Value	Action
Security Categories	in	All security risks	Block

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "All-HTTP-SecurityRisks-Blocklist",
		"description": "Block security categories based on Cloudflare'\''s threat intelligence",
		"precedence": 30,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "block",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "any(http.request.uri.security_category[*] in {68 178 80 83 176 175 117 131 134 151 153})"
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "all_http_security_risks_blocklist" {
  account_id  = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name        = "All-HTTP-SecurityRisks-Blocklist"
  description = "Block security categories based on Cloudflare's threat intelligence"
  precedence  = 30
  enabled     = true
  action      = "block"
  filters     = ["http"]
  traffic     = "any(http.request.uri.security_category[*] in {68 178 80 83 176 175 117 131 134 151 153})"
}

All-HTTP-ContentCategories-Blocklist

Entries in the security risk content subcategory, such as New Domains, do not always pose a security threat. We recommend you first create an Allow policy to track policy matching and identify any false positives. You can add false positives to your Trusted Domains list used in All-HTTP-Domain-Allowlist.

After your test is complete, we recommend you change the action to Block to minimize risk to your organization.

Selector	Operator	Value	Action
Content Categories	in	Questionable Content, Security Risks, Miscellaneous, Adult Themes, Gambling	Block

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "All-HTTP-ContentCategories-Blocklist",
		"description": "Block access to questionable content and potential security risks",
		"precedence": 40,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "block",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "any(http.request.uri.content_category[*] in {17 85 87 102 157 135 138 180 162 32 169 177 128 15 115 119 124 141 161 2 67 125 133 99})",
		"identity": "",
		"device_posture": ""
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "block_unauthorized_apps" {
  account_id     = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name           = "All-HTTP-ContentCategories-Blocklist"
  description    = "Block access to questionable content and potential security risks"
	precedence     = 40
  enabled        = true
  action         = "block"
  filters        = ["http"]
  traffic        = "any(http.request.uri.content_category[*] in {17 85 87 102 157 135 138 180 162 32 169 177 128 15 115 119 124 141 161 2 67 125 133 99})"
  identity       = ""
  device_posture = ""
}

All-HTTP-DomainHost-Blocklist

Block specific domains or hosts that are malicious or pose a threat to your organization. Like All-HTTP-ResolvedIP-Blocklist, this blocklist can be updated manually or via API automation.

Selector	Operator	Value	Logic	Action
Domain	in list	Domain Blocklist	Or	Block
Host	in list	Host Blocklist	Or
Host	matches regex	`.*example\.com`

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "All-HTTP-DomainHost-Blocklist",
		"description": "Block specific domains or hosts that are malicious or pose a threat to your organization",
		"precedence": 50,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "block",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "any(http.request.domains[*] in $<DOMAIN_BLOCKLIST_UUID>) or http.request.host in $<HOST_BLOCKLIST_UUID> or http.request.host matches \".*example.com\""
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "all_http_domainhost_blocklist" {
  account_id  = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name        = "All-HTTP-DomainHost-Blocklist"
  description = "Block specific domains or hosts that are malicious or pose a threat to your organization"
  precedence  = 50
  enabled     = true
  action      = "block"
  filters     = ["http"]
  traffic     = "any(http.request.domains[*] in ${"$"}{cloudflare_zero_trust_list.domain_blocklist.id}) or http.request.host in ${"$"}{cloudflare_zero_trust_list.host_blocklist.id} or http.request.host matches \".*example\\.com\""
}

All-HTTP-Application-Blocklist

Block unauthorized applications to limit your users' access to certain web-based tools and minimize the risk of shadow IT. For example, the following policy blocks known AI tools:

Selector	Operator	Value	Action
Application	in	Artificial Intelligence	Block

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "All-HTTP-Application-Blocklist",
		"description": "Limit access to shadow IT by blocking web-based tools and applications",
		"precedence": 60,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "block",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "any(app.type.ids[*] in {25})",
		"identity": "",
		"device_posture": ""
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "all_http_application_blocklist" {
  account_id     = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name           = "All-HTTP-Application-Blocklist"
  description    = "Limit access to shadow IT by blocking web-based tools and applications"
  precedence     = 60
  enabled        = true
  action         = "block"
  filters        = ["http"]
  traffic        = "any(app.type.ids[*] in {25})"
  identity       = ""
  device_posture = ""
}

PrivilegedUsers-HTTP-Any-Isolate

Isolate traffic for privileged users who regularly access critical systems or execute actions such as threat analysis and malware testing.

Security teams often need to perform threat analysis or malware testing that could trigger malware detection. Likewise, privileged users could be the target of attackers trying to gain access to critical systems.

Selector	Operator	Value	Action
User Group Names	in	Privileged Users	Isolate

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "PrivilegedUsers-HTTP-Any-Isolate",
		"description": "Isolate traffic for privileged users who regularly access critical or testing systems",
		"precedence": 70,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "isolate",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"identity": "any(identity.groups.name[*] in {\"Privileged Users\"})"
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "privileged_users_http_any_isolate" {
  account_id  = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name        = "PrivilegedUsers-HTTP-Any-Isolate"
  description = "Isolate traffic for privileged users who regularly access critical or testing systems"
  precedence  = 70
  enabled     = true
  action      = "isolate"
  filters     = ["http"]
  identity    = "any(identity.groups.name[*] in {\"Privileged Users\"})"
}

Quarantined-Users-HTTP-Restricted-Access

Restrict access for users included in an identity provider (IdP) user group for risky users. This policy ensures your security team can restrict traffic for users of whom malicious or suspicious activity was detected.

Selector	Operator	Value	Logic	Action
Destination IP	not in list	Quarantined-Users-IPAllowlist	And	Block
User Group Names	in	Quarantined Users

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "Quarantined-Users-HTTP-Restricted-Access",
		"description": "Restrict access for users included in an identity provider (IdP) user group for risky users",
		"precedence": 80,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "block",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "not(any(http.conn.dst_ip[] in $<QUARANTINED_USERS_IP_ALLOWLIST_UUID>))",
		"identity": "any(identity.groups.name[] in {\"Quarantined Users\"})"
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "quarantined_users_http_restricted_access" {
  account_id  = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name        = "Quarantined-Users-HTTP-Restricted-Access"
  description = "Restrict access for users included in an identity provider (IdP) user group for risky users"
  precedence  = 80
  enabled     = true
  action      = "block"
  filters     = ["http"]
  traffic     = "not(any(http.conn.dst_ip[*] in ${"$"}{cloudflare_zero_trust_list.quarantined_users_ip_allowlist.id}))"
  identity    = "any(identity.groups.name[*] in {\"Quarantined Users\"})"
}

All-HTTP-Domain-Isolate

Isolate high risk domains or create a custom list of known risky domains to avoid data exfiltration or malware infection. Ideally, your incident response teams can update the blocklist with an API automation to provide real-time threat protection.

Selector	Operator	Value	Logic	Action
Content Categories	in	New Domains, Newly Seen Domains	Or	Isolate
Domain	in list	Domain Isolation

Create a Zero Trust Gateway rulebash

curl "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$ACCOUNT_ID/gateway/rules" \
	--request POST \
	--header "Authorization: Bearer $CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN" \
	--json '{
		"name": "All-HTTP-Domain-Isolate",
		"description": "Isolate high risk domains or create a custom list of known risky domains to avoid data exfiltration or malware infection",
		"precedence": 90,
		"enabled": true,
		"action": "isolate",
		"filters": [
				"http"
		],
		"traffic": "any(http.request.uri.content_category[*] in {169 177}) or any(http.request.domains[*] in $<DOMAIN_ISOLATE_LIST_UUID>)"
	}'

resource "cloudflare_zero_trust_gateway_policy" "all_http_domain_isolate" {
  account_id  = var.cloudflare_account_id
  name        = "All-HTTP-Domain-Isolate"
  description = "Isolate high risk domains or create a custom list of known risky domains to avoid data exfiltration or malware infection"
  precedence  = 90
  enabled     = true
  action      = "isolate"
  filters     = ["http"]
  traffic     = "any(http.request.uri.content_category[*] in {169 177}) or any(http.request.domains[*] in ${"$"}{cloudflare_zero_trust_list.domain_isolate_list.id})"
}