Skip to main content

Security report for cityspark.com

CitySpark · Media · United States

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

Security score

68/100

Risk levelMedium

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

CitySpark operates a specialized event platform focused on hyper-local event search, discovery, submission, promotion, and ticketing services primarily targeting media companies, event organizers, and local audiences. The company has a well-established market presence with a domain registered since 2003 and trusted by over 1,700 media companies including notable clients such as Chicago Tribune and Denver Post. Their business model revolves around providing a comprehensive event aggregation and promotion platform that drives traffic, engages audiences, and generates revenue through multiple channels including enhanced listings, sponsorships, and ticketing. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with a modern theme and plugins, including Yoast SEO and Google Analytics integration, indicating a mature digital infrastructure. The site is mobile optimized and SEO friendly, though performance is moderate and accessibility is basic. Hosting details are limited but the domain registrar is GoDaddy, a reputable provider. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS and domain status protections but lacks DNSSEC and important security headers, which are recommended to enhance security posture. No explicit security or incident response policies are published, and cookie consent mechanisms are absent, which may affect GDPR compliance. The WHOIS data is consistent and supports the legitimacy of the business. Overall, CitySpark presents a professional and trustworthy online presence with good business credibility and technical implementation. Strategic improvements in security headers, DNSSEC, and privacy compliance would further strengthen their security posture and regulatory adherence.

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 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

  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 cityspark.com

This scan found 24 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
67
Security headers
50
Email security
55
DNS health
80
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
Average
68

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

CitySpark holds a strong position in the media sector as a provider of event platform services, leveraging a broad client base of media companies. Their competitive advantage lies in the comprehensive aggregation of local events across 500+ categories and integrated tools for event submission, promotion, and ticketing. Revenue streams include enhanced listings, advertising, sponsorships, and ticket sales. The platform targets media publishers, event organizers, and local consumers, enabling scalable event marketing and discovery. Partnerships with major media outlets enhance credibility and market reach. The company’s longevity since 2003 and consistent branding reinforce stability and growth potential.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS enabled and domain status protections in place. However, the absence of DNSSEC and critical security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options exposes potential risks. No public security or incident response policies were found, indicating gaps in transparency and preparedness. The lack of cookie consent mechanisms suggests incomplete privacy compliance. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the HTML content. Overall, the security posture is adequate but would benefit from implementing recommended best practices and formal policies to mitigate risks and enhance trust.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to protect against DNS spoofing and improve DNS security.
  2. Implement essential security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to harden the website against common attacks.
  3. Add a cookie consent banner and privacy compliance mechanisms to meet GDPR and other privacy regulations.
  4. Publish clear security and incident response policies to improve transparency and readiness.
  5. Regularly update WordPress core, themes, and plugins to mitigate vulnerabilities and maintain security.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
CitySpark
Description
Find events with hyper-local event search and discovery, submit and promote events with targeted event promotion and ticketing, and include local listings on your site with local event aggregation feed and calendar platform tools for publishers.
Key services
Calendar Platform, Event Listings Feed, Business Listings, Ticketing, Event Submission and Promotion
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 5.4.2, PHP, jQuery 1.12.4, Google Analytics, Yoast SEO plugin, WPBakery Page Builder, Salient theme and plugins
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
WordPress CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
65/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Use of clientDeleteProhibited and other domain status flags

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Marketing tools
Yoast SEO
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professionally designed WordPress site focused on event platform services.
  2. Content is comprehensive and relevant to media companies and event organizers.
  3. No signs of adult or questionable content.
  4. No explicit cookie consent mechanism found, which may impact GDPR compliance.
  5. Security headers and DNSSEC are missing, representing an area for improvement.
  6. WHOIS data is consistent and domain is well-established.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform using the Salient theme and several plugins including Yoast SEO and WPBakery Page Builder. It integrates Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for tracking and marketing purposes. The site is mobile responsive with good SEO optimization and a professional design. Performance is moderate, with some opportunities for optimization. Hosting details are not explicit but the domain registrar is GoDaddy. The technology stack is modern but could benefit from enhanced security configurations and accessibility improvements to reduce technical debt and improve user experience.
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. 68/100Medium32 findingsView report
  2. 68/100Medium33 findingsView report
Reviews of this site

Share your experience with cityspark.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 cityspark.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.