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Security report for courthousenews.com

Courthouse News Service · Media · N/a

Medium risk. 4 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

Courthouse News Service is a specialized media company providing live legal news, opinions, and photo coverage from courtrooms across the United States and internationally. The website targets legal professionals, journalists, and the general public interested in legal affairs, operating primarily on a subscription and advertising business model. It maintains a consistent brand presence with a professional design and comprehensive content offerings including podcasts and newsletters. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using the Divi theme, leveraging common web technologies such as jQuery and Google reCAPTCHA for bot protection. It integrates advertising via Google Ads and AdBlade and employs New Relic Browser monitoring for performance and analytics. The site demonstrates moderate performance and good mobile optimization, though accessibility features are basic. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses consent management for cookies, but lacks explicit security headers and incident response contact information. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analysis. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear privacy and cookie policies and GDPR consent mechanisms. Overall, the website presents a trustworthy and professional front for its niche media business. However, the absence of WHOIS registration data and lack of direct contact information slightly reduce its business credibility score. Strategic improvements in security headers, incident response transparency, and contact availability would enhance trust and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 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

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 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 SSL Key Length

      SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

      What to do: Use at least 2048-bit RSA or 256-bit ECC key

      • CWE-326
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • Mozilla TLS: Mozilla Server Side TLS 6.0 intermediate: rsa_key_size 2048

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

Keep watching courthousenews.com

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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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
75
Security headers
35
Email security
70
DNS health
80
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
80
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

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

Courthouse News Service occupies a niche market in legal news media, offering specialized content that differentiates it from general news outlets. Its subscription and advertising revenue streams indicate a hybrid business model targeting both individual subscribers and advertisers. The partnership with CasePortal and newsletter services like Substack expands its ecosystem and audience reach. The company appears to maintain a medium-sized operation with a focus on quality content and digital presence. Growth indicators include active content updates, podcast integration, and mobile app availability. The lack of visible direct contact details may reflect a focus on digital engagement channels rather than traditional customer service. Competitive advantages include specialized legal reporting, comprehensive coverage, and established brand recognition within its sector. The company could benefit from enhanced transparency in business and security practices to strengthen market trust.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid baseline security posture with HTTPS enforced and use of Google reCAPTCHA to mitigate automated abuse. Cookie consent mechanisms align with GDPR requirements, indicating attention to privacy compliance. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options suggests room for improvement in defense-in-depth. No explicit incident response or security contact information is provided, which is a gap in readiness for handling security incidents or vulnerability disclosures. The use of third-party scripts and advertising networks introduces potential risk vectors that require ongoing monitoring. Overall, the security maturity is moderate, suitable for a media website but with opportunities to enhance resilience and transparency.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to strengthen browser security.
  2. Publish explicit incident response and security contact information to facilitate vulnerability reporting and incident management.
  3. Conduct regular audits of third-party scripts and dependencies to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance accessibility features to improve compliance and user experience for all visitors.
  5. Consider publishing a security.txt file to formalize vulnerability disclosure policies and improve security culture.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Courthouse News Service
Description
Courthouse News Service provides live news, opinions, and photo coverage by journalists focusing on breaking legal news from federal and state courts across the US and globally.
Key services
Legal news reporting, Photo coverage, Subscription services, Podcast
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, jQuery, Google reCAPTCHA, Google Ads, New Relic Browser monitoring
Frameworks
Divi WordPress Theme
Platforms
WordPress CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA for bot protection
  • Consent management for cookies

Analytics and tracking

Services
New Relic Browser
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Ads, AdBlade
Tracking pixels
Google reCAPTCHA, New Relic Browser
Marketing tools
Google Ads, Facebook SDK, Twitter Widgets
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and navigation.
  2. Uses WordPress CMS with Divi theme and multiple plugins.
  3. Has comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent management.
  4. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on the main page.
  5. Includes advertising and tracking scripts from reputable providers.
  6. No security.txt or explicit security contact information found.
  7. WHOIS data is missing or domain not registered according to raw WHOIS output.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a mature and widely used CMS platform (WordPress) with the Divi theme, indicating a standard and maintainable infrastructure. It uses common JavaScript libraries such as jQuery and integrates Google services for ads and bot protection. Performance is moderate with room for optimization, particularly in loading times and resource management. Mobile optimization is good, supporting a broad user base. SEO practices are adequate with proper meta tags and Open Graph data. The technical stack is conventional for media websites, balancing ease of use with functionality. Opportunities exist to modernize certain aspects, such as adopting newer JavaScript frameworks or improving accessibility compliance.
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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