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Security report for css-tricks.com

CSS-Tricks · Technology · N/a

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in Email security, Security headers and 2 other checks.

Security score

72/100

Risk levelMedium

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

CSS-Tricks is a well-established online resource dedicated to web development, focusing primarily on CSS and front-end technologies. Founded in 2007, it offers a rich collection of articles, guides, and an almanac of CSS properties and functions, targeting web developers and designers. The website maintains a strong market position as a reputable educational platform supported by sponsorship from DigitalOcean. Technically, the site is built on WordPress with modern web technologies, optimized for performance, SEO, and accessibility. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced and domain registration locked, though DNSSEC is not enabled. Privacy compliance is limited as no explicit privacy or cookie policies were found in the provided content. Overall, the site demonstrates high professionalism, trustworthiness, and content quality, making it a valuable resource in the web development community.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of css-tricks.com. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
50/ 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. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

    • Critical

      No email authentication configured

      Domain is vulnerable to email spoofing

      What to do: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC immediately

  2. 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 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';…

  3. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Privacy Policy found

      GDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy

      What to do: Add a comprehensive privacy policy page and link to it prominently

    • 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

      Third-party services without privacy policy

      Detected services: Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

      What to do: Document all third-party data sharing in your privacy policy

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

Keep watching css-tricks.com

This scan found 18 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.

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Full report

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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
70
Email security
60
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
50
Average
72

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

CSS-Tricks operates as a content publishing platform monetized through sponsorships and advertising, notably with DigitalOcean. Its target audience includes front-end developers and designers seeking practical CSS knowledge and tutorials. The business model relies on high-quality, regularly updated content and community engagement via newsletters and social media. The site’s longevity and consistent branding reinforce its competitive advantage. Partnerships with hosting and advertising providers enhance its ecosystem. The absence of explicit contact details or privacy policies suggests areas for improvement in transparency and compliance.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enabled, domain status locks (clientDeleteProhibited, clientTransferProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited), and no visible exposure of sensitive data. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, which could be a potential enhancement. No security.txt or vulnerability disclosure policy was found, and no dedicated security contact channels are provided. Forms use standard email input fields without visible advanced security measures. Overall, the site follows good security practices but could improve in formalizing incident response and disclosure mechanisms.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC to enhance domain name system security.
  2. Publish clear and comprehensive privacy and cookie policies to improve compliance and user trust.
  3. Implement and publish a security.txt file to facilitate vulnerability reporting.
  4. Provide explicit contact information for security incidents and general inquiries.
  5. Regularly review and update security headers and form security to maintain best practices.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
CSS-Tricks
Description
CSS-Tricks is a website focused on web development, specifically CSS and front-end technologies, providing articles, guides, and resources for web developers.
Key services
Educational articles, Guides, Almanac of CSS properties and functions, Newsletter subscription
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, Cloudflare DNS
Frameworks
Jetpack, Rank Math SEO
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of reputable registrar with domain lock statuses

Analytics and tracking

Services
Jetpack Stats
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
BuySellAds
Tracking pixels
Jetpack Stats (WordPress.com)
Marketing tools
Marketo Forms
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a well-established resource for CSS and web development.
  2. Content is rich, updated, and professionally presented.
  3. No explicit privacy or cookie policies found on the homepage HTML snapshot.
  4. Use of modern web technologies and SEO best practices.
  5. Sponsorship and partnership with DigitalOcean adds credibility.
  6. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is powered by WordPress CMS with plugins such as Jetpack and Rank Math SEO, indicating a modern and extensible infrastructure. Hosting is likely provided by DigitalOcean, supported by sponsorship links. The site uses modern HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, with responsive design and accessibility considerations. Performance is optimized with preconnect and dns-prefetch hints, and images use modern formats like WebP. The technical stack is robust and well-maintained, though opportunities exist to enable DNSSEC and enhance privacy compliance features.
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. 72/100Medium25 findingsView report
  2. 72/100Medium25 findingsView report
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