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Security report for axios.com

Axios · Media · United States

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

60/100

Risk levelMedium

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

Axios is a prominent digital news media organization specializing in delivering concise and efficient news coverage across a broad spectrum of topics including politics, business, technology, health, and climate. Established in 2016, Axios has positioned itself as a trusted source for smart, timely news content, supported by a strong brand presence and a comprehensive offering of newsletters, live events, and a professional website. The company targets a general audience seeking reliable and succinct news updates.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
53/ 100 · Medium
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

5 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. SSL/TLS

    TLS encrypts the connection and proves the site is really yours. Weak or expiring certificates trigger browser warnings and put traffic at risk.

    • Critical

      Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

      Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

      What to do: Check if the server is accessible and SSL/TLS is properly configured

  2. Security headers

    Security headers are instructions your web server sends to every visitor’s browser. Missing ones leave visitors more exposed to attacks such as clickjacking and injected scripts.

    • High

      Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1
    • High

      Missing Content-Security-Policy header

      Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

      What to do: Implement a Content-Security-Policy appropriate for your application

      • ASVS V3.4.3
      • OWASP Secure Headers: OWASP Secure Headers Project recommends Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; form-action 'self'; base-uri 'self'; object-src 'none';…

  3. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

    • High

      No Cookie Consent Banner found

      GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

      What to do: Implement a cookie consent banner that appears on first visit

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching axios.com

This scan found 17 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

Daily monitoring

Recommended

€25per month

  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

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Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
0
Security headers
55
Email security
65
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
Average
60

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

Axios operates a digital-first business model leveraging content subscriptions, advertising, and event hosting to generate revenue. Its market position is strengthened by a consistent brand identity, a large and engaged audience, and partnerships with major social media platforms. The company’s ecosystem includes Axios Pro for business deals and Axios Live events, indicating diversified revenue streams. The absence of direct contact emails or phone numbers suggests a focus on digital engagement and streamlined communication via web forms.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and a privacy consent mechanism powered by Fides. While no explicit security or incident response policies are published, the site follows best practices for protecting user data and maintaining compliance with GDPR. The use of reputable third-party services like Google Tag Manager and Braze is managed with consent controls, minimizing privacy risks. Recommendations include publishing a dedicated security policy and incident response contacts to enhance transparency and trust.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Provide explicit incident response contact information such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Implement and publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Enhance contact information availability to include direct company emails or phone numbers for business inquiries.
  5. Regularly review and audit third-party scripts and advertising integrations to mitigate potential security risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Axios
Description
Smart, efficient news worthy of your time, attention, and trust. Covering local news, politics, health, climate, tech, media, business, sports, world, science and more.
Key services
News articles, Newsletters, Axios Pro (business deals), Axios Live events
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Next.js, JavaScript, CSS, Google Tag Manager, DoubleClick for Publishers, Braze (marketing automation), Fides (privacy management)
Frameworks
Next.js, React
Platforms
Web
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure cookie consent mechanism

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google DoubleClick
Tracking pixels
Braze
Marketing tools
Braze
Transparency
good

Site quality

Design
excellent
User experience
excellent
Content relevance
excellent
Navigation
excellent
Professionalism
excellent
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional news media platform with comprehensive content.
  2. Strong presence of social media and marketing integrations.
  3. Good privacy and cookie compliance with consent mechanisms.
  4. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity.
  5. Modern tech stack with React and Next.js.
  6. No direct contact emails or phone numbers publicly listed; contact via form only.
  7. No explicit security or incident response policies published.
  8. Advertising and analytics practices are transparent and standard for media sites.
Technical notes

Notes

Axios employs a modern and robust technical infrastructure based on React and Next.js frameworks, enabling fast performance and excellent mobile optimization. The site uses advanced privacy management tools and integrates with major advertising and analytics platforms. The technical implementation includes proper SEO meta tags, accessibility features, and a responsive design. Hosting details are not explicitly disclosed, but performance indicators suggest a well-optimized environment. Opportunities exist to further improve transparency around hosting and backend technologies.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 62/100 −1Medium22 findingsView report
  2. 63/100Medium21 findingsView report
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