What does a Cloudflare origin-exposure check do?
A Cloudflare origin-exposure check looks for public DNS and Certificate Transparency clues that may reveal an origin address behind the proxy. Finding such an address can identify a configuration gap that allows traffic to bypass Cloudflare protections and reach the server directly.
Access requires a DNS TXT ownership challenge valid for 24 hours. The check passively cross-references crt.sh and resolves eight common non-proxied subdomains without port-scanning or connecting to the target. A clean result cannot prove that the origin is hidden through every historical record, third party, or undiscovered hostname.