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Security report for citycast.fm

City Cast · Media · United States

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

73/100

Risk levelMedium

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

City Cast is a U.S.-based media company specializing in daily local news podcasts and newsletters across multiple cities. Founded in 2020, it aims to connect residents with their communities through curated audio and written content. The company operates a network of city-specific sites and leverages modern web technologies to deliver content efficiently. Technically, the website is built on Next.js and React, hosted on Vercel, and integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools including Google Tag Manager, TikTok Pixel, and Facebook Pixel. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and strict Content-Security-Policy headers, though DNSSEC is not enabled and no explicit security or incident response policies are published. Privacy compliance is partial, with a privacy policy and terms of service present but lacking a cookie consent mechanism. Overall, the site is professional, well-branded, and trustworthy with moderate user tracking and advertising transparency.

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. 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 X-Frame-Options header

      Prevents clickjacking attacks

      What to do: Add "X-Frame-Options: DENY" or "X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN"

    • 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

  3. 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 citycast.fm

This scan found 20 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.

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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
72
Security headers
40
Email security
85
DNS health
90
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
Average
73

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

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention citycast.fm, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for citycast.fm right now. New leaks arrive continuously, so monitoring on Breach alerts you if that changes.

Monitor on Breach (opens in a new tab)

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

City Cast occupies a niche in the local news podcast market, targeting urban residents interested in daily updates about their cities. Its business model likely relies on advertising and sponsorships within its podcasts and newsletters. The company shows growth potential with multiple city launches and a clear content focus. Partnerships with platforms like Workable for recruitment and use of marketing tools indicate a growing operational maturity. The absence of direct contact information on the site suggests a focus on digital engagement rather than traditional customer service channels. The company maintains consistent branding and a clear mission, positioning itself as a trusted local news source.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a good security baseline with HTTPS enforced and a strict Content-Security-Policy that restricts script sources and disallows object-src and base-uri. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, which could improve DNS security. No security.txt or vulnerability disclosure policy is present, and no incident response contacts are published, which limits transparency in security management. The extensive use of third-party tracking and marketing scripts increases the attack surface and privacy risks. Overall, the security posture is good but could be enhanced by adding explicit security policies, enabling DNSSEC, and implementing cookie consent mechanisms to improve privacy compliance.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Implement a cookie consent banner and detailed cookie policy to comply with privacy regulations.
  3. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and trust.
  4. Add a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting of security issues.
  5. Review and minimize third-party tracking scripts to reduce privacy risks and improve user trust.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
City Cast
Description
City Cast is a network producing smart, daily local news podcasts and newsletters connecting listeners with cities across the U.S.
Key services
Daily local news podcasts, Newsletters
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Next.js, React, Vercel hosting, Google Tag Manager, TikTok Pixel, Facebook Pixel, Keywee analytics, Wisepops
Frameworks
React, Next.js
Platforms
Vercel
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Strict Content-Security-Policy with script hashes
  • No inline object-src or base-uri allowed

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via GTM), TikTok Analytics, Facebook Analytics, Keywee Analytics
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Adsense
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, Keywee
Marketing tools
Wisepops, SparkLoop
Transparency
basic

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
good
Navigation
good
Professionalism
good
Trustworthiness
moderate

Key observations

  1. Website is a professionally designed local news podcast network.
  2. Content is well structured and relevant to target audience.
  3. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on main site.
  4. Privacy policy and terms of service are present but cookie policy and consent mechanism are missing.
  5. Extensive use of third-party analytics and marketing tools.
  6. Good security headers and HTTPS usage, but DNSSEC is not enabled.
  7. No explicit security or incident response policies published.
  8. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt found.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern, performant tech stack based on Next.js and React, hosted on Vercel, ensuring fast load times and excellent mobile optimization. The CMS is Sanity.io, which supports flexible content management. SEO is well addressed with proper meta tags and Open Graph data. Accessibility is good, though no explicit ARIA landmarks or accessibility statements were found. The site integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools, which may impact privacy and performance if not managed carefully. The use of strict Content-Security-Policy headers is a positive security control. Overall, the technical infrastructure is modern and robust, supporting the business goals effectively.
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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