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Security report for cgtn.com

CGTN · Media · China

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in Security headers and GDPR outside view.

Security score

69/100

Risk levelMedium

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

CGTN is a large international media organization providing global news coverage with a focus on Chinese perspectives. The website offers a wide range of news content including politics, business, culture, and technology, supported by video and live streaming services. The platform targets a global audience interested in China and international affairs. Technically, the site uses modern web technologies such as Bootstrap, jQuery, and Google Analytics, with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and no visible vulnerabilities, though some security headers and policies could be improved. Privacy compliance is strong with clear privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms. The absence of WHOIS data limits domain registration trust analysis, but the website's professional presentation and official social media presence support its legitimacy.

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

4 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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';…

  2. 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 cgtn.com

This scan found 23 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

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  • 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
90
Security headers
30
Email security
75
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
Average
69

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

CGTN operates as a state-backed media outlet with a strong market position in international news broadcasting. Its business model revolves around content creation and distribution via digital platforms, targeting global news consumers. The company leverages partnerships with related media entities like CCTV+. The website's extensive use of analytics and marketing tools indicates a mature digital strategy aimed at audience engagement and growth. The presence of multiple language options and regional content sections supports a broad international reach.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a good security posture with enforced HTTPS and no exposed sensitive information. However, it lacks explicit security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms. The use of third-party analytics and marketing scripts is balanced with user consent, indicating awareness of privacy regulations. To enhance security maturity, CGTN should implement security headers, publish a security policy, and provide clear incident response channels.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response contact information on the website.
  3. Establish a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Regularly audit third-party scripts to minimize potential security risks.
  5. Enhance transparency around data retention policies and user privacy controls.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
CGTN
Description
CGTN is an international media organization. CGTN aims to provide global audiences with accurate and timely news coverage as well as rich audiovisual services, promoting communication and understanding between China and the world, and enhancing cultural exchanges and mutual trust between China and other countries.
Key services
News coverage, Video streaming, Live broadcasts, Cultural content
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Bootstrap, jQuery, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Optimize, Swiper, Slick Carousel, Crazy Egg
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Google Tag Manager and Analytics with consent management

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Crazy Egg
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Crazy Egg
Tracking pixels
Google Optimize
Marketing tools
Crazy Egg, Google Optimize
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 international news media platform with extensive content.
  2. Strong use of structured data and social media integration.
  3. No signs of adult or malicious content.
  4. Good privacy and cookie policy presence with consent mechanisms.
  5. No visible security policy or incident response contacts.
  6. WHOIS data unavailable, limiting domain registration trust analysis.
  7. Use of multiple analytics and marketing tools with user consent.
Technical notes

Notes

CGTN's website is built on a modern tech stack including Bootstrap for responsive design, jQuery for interactivity, and Google services for analytics and optimization. The site loads multiple external resources efficiently and supports mobile devices well. Performance is moderate, with opportunities to optimize image loading and script execution further. No CMS was explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or proprietary platform. The technical infrastructure supports a high-quality user experience but could benefit from additional security hardening and performance tuning.
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

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