Skip to main content

Security report for buzzfeed.com

BuzzFeed, Inc. · Media · United States

Low risk. 2 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

84/100

Risk levelLow

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

BuzzFeed, Inc. is a leading digital media and entertainment company known for its breaking news, quizzes, videos, and viral content. The website serves a broad general audience with a focus on engaging and shareable media content. BuzzFeed operates primarily on an advertising-based business model, leveraging multiple ad networks and tracking technologies to monetize its content. The company holds a strong market position as a prominent media brand with consistent branding and high-quality content. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including React and integrates with major advertising platforms such as Amazon Ads and Google DoubleClick. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and demonstrates good SEO practices. Performance is moderate, with room for optimization in loading times. Security is robust with HTTPS enforced and appropriate security headers in place, though there is no public vulnerability disclosure or security contact information readily available. The security posture is strong with no detected vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. Privacy compliance is well addressed with comprehensive privacy and cookie policies and GDPR compliance indicators. However, the absence of WHOIS data for the domain is unusual and slightly reduces the business credibility score. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and safe for general audiences. Strategically, BuzzFeed should consider publishing a public vulnerability disclosure policy and providing clearer security contact channels to enhance transparency and trust. Regular updates to third-party scripts and continuous monitoring of security headers will maintain a strong security posture. The company’s digital maturity is high, but ongoing technical and security improvements will support sustained market leadership.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of buzzfeed.com. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
85/ 100 · Low
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

2 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. GDPR outside view

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

    • 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

  2. 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.

    • High

      Weak Protocols Supported

      Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

      What to do: Disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and all SSL versions

      • CWE-327
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V12.1.1

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

Keep watching buzzfeed.com

This scan found 14 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

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

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
82
Security headers
65
Email security
85
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
85
Average
84

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

BuzzFeed operates in the media sector with a large-scale digital presence targeting a general audience interested in news, entertainment, and lifestyle content. Its business model is primarily advertising-driven, supported by partnerships with major ad networks. The company benefits from strong brand recognition and a diversified content portfolio including news, quizzes, and video content. BuzzFeed’s competitive advantage lies in its viral content creation and social media integration. The company’s growth is supported by extensive use of analytics and marketing tools to optimize user engagement and monetization. BuzzFeed’s ecosystem includes multiple external advertising and tracking domains, reflecting a mature digital marketing strategy. The lack of visible direct contact information on the homepage suggests a focus on digital engagement rather than direct customer support.

Security posture

BuzzFeed’s website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and multiple security headers implemented, including Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed HTML content. However, the absence of a public security policy or incident response contact information limits transparency in security governance. The site uses third-party scripts from advertising and tracking providers, which should be regularly audited to mitigate supply chain risks. Privacy policies are comprehensive and GDPR compliant, indicating good data protection practices. Overall, the security maturity is high but could be improved by publishing a vulnerability disclosure program and providing explicit security contact channels.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a public vulnerability disclosure policy to encourage responsible reporting of security issues.
  2. Provide clear security contact information such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses on the website.
  3. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and advertising libraries to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance incident response transparency by documenting procedures and contact points.
  5. Continue improving website performance and accessibility to maintain high user experience standards.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
BuzzFeed, Inc.
Description
BuzzFeed has breaking news, vital journalism, quizzes, videos, celeb news, Tasty food videos, recipes, DIY hacks, and all the trending buzz you’ll want to share with your friends.
Key services
News, Entertainment content, Quizzes, Videos, Recipes
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, React, Google DoubleClick, Amazon Ads, Typekit Fonts
Frameworks
React
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Amazon Ads, Google DoubleClick, AdLightning
Tracking pixels
AdLightning
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking detected.
  2. Strong brand presence with consistent design and professional content.
  3. Uses multiple ad networks and tracking technologies typical for media sites.
  4. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on the homepage HTML.
  5. WHOIS data is missing or unavailable, which is unusual for a major media company.
  6. Privacy and cookie policies are present and appear comprehensive.
  7. No explicit adult or questionable content detected.
  8. Security headers and HTTPS are properly implemented.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern technology stack centered around React for frontend rendering, supported by various third-party advertising and analytics services including Amazon Ads and Google DoubleClick. Fonts are served via Typekit, and the site employs advanced CSS and JavaScript for responsive design and user interaction. The site is mobile-optimized with good accessibility features and SEO meta tags. Performance is moderate, likely influenced by multiple ad scripts and tracking pixels. Hosting provider details are not explicitly found in the HTML content. The technical infrastructure supports a high-quality user experience but requires ongoing optimization to balance advertising load and performance.
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. 75/100Medium9 findings · partial scanView report
  2. 81/100 +2Low22 findingsView report
  3. 79/100Low20 findingsView report
Reviews of this site

Share your experience with buzzfeed.com. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review buzzfeed.com.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.