They are crafting the stories methodically (and successfully I'd say, given the number of times we all talk about CloudFlare on HN) to drive more exposure to their brand. It's too optimistic and hyperbolic sometimes, but no really different than any product announcement from Apple or Facebook.
In all fairness to them, a positive side effect is that we're all discussing now how to solve the root cause of this decades-old - but still threatening - problem (open networks and dns attacks). I guess it will really take an apocalyptic event to convince millions of operators to configure better their own networks.
This is not the first time CloudFlare uses hyperbolic headlines. Case in point: "Why Google Went Offline Today and a Bit about How the Internet Works" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4747910
If they really know how the Internet works they shouldn't make claims like this.....