What are the potential risks or negative impacts of blocking IP ranges, and how can they be avoided?

The primary risk is inadvertently blocking legitimate users, customers, or services if their IP addresses fall within the blocked range. This can lead to loss of revenue, customer frustration, or service disruptions. To avoid this, always: 1. **Verify CIDR notation:** Double-check the range to ensure accuracy. 2. **Start with 'Challenge':** For uncertain ranges, begin with a 'Challenge' action (like CAPTCHA) instead of a hard 'Block' to gauge impact. 3. **Monitor traffic:** Use Cloudflare's analytics and logs to observe the effects of your rules. 4. **Use granular conditions:** Combine IP blocking with other WAF rule conditions (e.g., specific URLs or user agents) for more precise targeting.