The Wisconsin Project

The Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control operates at the intersection of international safety and digital transparency. Since 1986, this non-profit has dedicated itself to a critical mission: stemming the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD). By investigating the illicit supply chains of materials and technology, the organization provides the world with the "ground truth" necessary to halt proliferation. Their flagship public digital resource, Iran Watch, serves as a source of expert analysis and as a repository for official documents. The Wisconsin Project’s commitment to an open and secure Internet makes them a prime target for cyberattacks.

"The Project has trained export control officials in some 40 countries around the world, and our products, including Iran Watch, are used globally by government officials, financial institutions, private companies, academics, and the press." Valerie Lincy, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Project.

For the Wisconsin Project, being online isn't just a convenience—it is the core of their operational impact. Their research has been used by the United States government, the United Nations, and the European Union to identify and freeze assets linked to nuclear and missile work. When state-sponsored actors attempt to take their site offline or corrupt their data, they aren't just attacking a website; they are attacking a global security mechanism.

The Wisconsin's Independent analysis is particularly important during moments of heightened geopolitical tensions in the region. A DDoS attack against or defacement of the Wisconsin Project's websites undermines people's ability to access accurate information and support accountability measures.

"Our web presence is essential to our impact and operations, as our websites are the primary way we disseminate our information. Keeping them up and running is mission critical." says Lincy.

As a small organization, the Wisconsin Project faces a "resource gap"; they have expertise in WMD proliferation but limited formal technical training in cybersecurity. This is where protection from Project Galileo helps the organization stay online. By providing security tools that are easy to tailor, Cloudflare allows the Wisconsin Project to focus on its mission rather than fighting off malicious threats.

"As a person in this role who has received no formal technical training, straightforward and easy-to-use tools like Cloudflare have been extremely helpful in allowing us to accomplish our web security goals on a limited budget." Treston Chandler, Senior Research Associate

To ensure the Wisconsin Project websites remain secure and reliable, they use Cloudflare tools designed to defend against threats:

• Web Application Firewall (WAF): The WAF allows the Project to implement custom security rules that filter out malicious traffic. This was recently seen when a single rule issued 213,000 challenges in 24 hours to suspicious visitors—of which only 9 were legitimate humans.
• Managed Challenges: This feature is vital for the Project’s goal of an open Internet. It prevents the "accidental blocking" of legitimate researchers by presenting a simple challenge only when traffic appears suspicious, ensuring data remains accessible to those who need it.
• Bot Management & Rate Limiting: These tools stop malicious bots from scraping the Project's proprietary research and "skewing analytics data," which is essential for reporting accurate impact to their funders.
• Secure DNS: Cloudflare provides a more reliable and user-friendly DNS infrastructure than their previous providers, ensuring that when a policymaker types in "Iran Watch," they reach the authentic site every time.

By standing behind the Wisconsin Project, Cloudflare helps strengthen privacy and security online, especially for those working to make the world a safer place.

"Without Cloudflare, we wouldn’t be able to limit illegitimate traffic to our site... which would lead to a higher likelihood of our content being scraped without our knowledge, and ultimately a greater risk of a cyberattack." Treston Chandler, Senior Research Associate