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Security report for coloradocommunitymedia.com

Colorado Community Media · Media · United States

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

63/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Colorado Community Media is a well-established regional media company founded in 2012, providing comprehensive local news coverage across multiple Colorado communities. The website serves as a digital hub for news, sports, arts, and community events, targeting residents within its service areas. The business model relies on advertising, sponsored content, and newsletter subscriptions, positioning itself as a trusted local news source with a consistent brand presence and partnership with the National Trust for Local News. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using the Newspack theme, optimized for news media with moderate performance and good mobile responsiveness. The infrastructure includes modern analytics and advertising technologies such as Google Analytics, Broadstreet Ads, and Jetpack. Hosting and domain registration are managed via GoDaddy, with standard domain protections but lacking DNSSEC. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS with good SSL configuration and domain-level EPP protections. However, it lacks advanced security headers and a formal vulnerability disclosure policy. Privacy compliance is partial, with a comprehensive privacy policy present but no cookie consent mechanism detected, which may affect GDPR compliance. Contact information is primarily via web forms, with no direct emails or phone numbers publicly listed. Overall, the website demonstrates a solid business and technical foundation with room for improvement in security best practices and privacy compliance. Strategic enhancements in these areas would strengthen trust and regulatory adherence while maintaining its role as a key local news provider.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
58/ 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

6 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 coloradocommunitymedia.com

This scan found 26 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
52
Security headers
30
Email security
55
DNS health
80
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
58
Average
63

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

Colorado Community Media holds a strong position in the local news media sector within Colorado, leveraging a network of community newspapers and digital platforms. Its competitive advantage lies in localized content tailored to diverse communities, supported by partnerships such as with the National Trust for Local News. The business model integrates advertising, sponsored content, and subscription-based newsletters, targeting local residents and businesses. Growth indicators include a broad portfolio of community brands and active engagement through newsletters and events. The partnership ecosystem includes donation platforms and obituary service providers, enhancing service offerings and community integration.

Security posture

The website exhibits a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS enforced and domain-level protections like clientDeleteProhibited status. However, the absence of DNSSEC and security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security indicates gaps in defense-in-depth strategies. No vulnerability disclosure or incident response information is publicly available, limiting transparency and readiness perception. Privacy compliance is partial, lacking cookie consent mechanisms, which could expose the organization to regulatory risks under GDPR. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected, but improvements in security policies and technical controls are recommended to elevate the security posture.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  3. Deploy a cookie consent banner/mechanism to comply with GDPR and other privacy regulations.
  4. Publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to improve transparency and incident response readiness.
  5. Enhance privacy compliance by clearly documenting data retention policies and user data handling practices.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Colorado Community Media
Description
Colorado Community Media is a media company providing local news coverage across multiple communities in Colorado, including news, sports, arts, culture, and community events.
Key services
Local news articles, Community event calendars, Advertising solutions, E-editions and print publications, Newsletters
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, jQuery, Broadstreet Ads, Jetpack
Frameworks
Newspack Theme
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Domain status includes clientDeleteProhibited and other EPP protections

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Jetpack Stats, Broadstreet Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
Broadstreet Ads, Infolinks
Tracking pixels
Parsely, Simpli.fi
Marketing tools
Jetpack
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a regional/local news media platform serving multiple Colorado communities.
  2. Content is rich and well-structured with clear navigation and multiple community news outlets.
  3. Uses WordPress CMS with Newspack theme optimized for news media.
  4. HTTPS is enabled with good SSL configuration; however, DNSSEC is not enabled.
  5. No explicit cookie consent mechanism found, which may impact GDPR compliance.
  6. No visible security.txt or vulnerability disclosure policy.
  7. Contact information is available via contact form; no direct emails or phone numbers found in the HTML.
  8. Social media presence includes Facebook and Twitter.
  9. Advertising and tracking scripts are present but standard for media websites.
  10. WHOIS data shows domain is registered with GoDaddy since 2012 and is not privacy protected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern WordPress CMS platform using the Newspack theme tailored for news organizations. It integrates multiple third-party technologies including Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Broadstreet Ads, Jetpack, and WooCommerce for e-commerce capabilities. Performance is moderate with optimizations such as image preloading and responsive design. Accessibility features are basic but present. The technical stack is well-suited for content delivery but could benefit from enhanced security configurations and privacy tools. Hosting is managed by GoDaddy, consistent with the domain registrar information. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports the business needs effectively with opportunities for modernization in security and privacy implementations.
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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