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Security report for freecodecamp.org

freeCodeCamp.org · Education · United States

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

69/100

Risk levelMedium

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

freeCodeCamp.org is a leading non-profit educational platform dedicated to providing free coding education globally. It offers an extensive curriculum covering web development, data science, and programming, supported by a large and active community. The platform is widely recognized for its certifications and open-source curriculum, targeting learners ranging from beginners to career changers. Technically, the website leverages modern frameworks such as React and Gatsby, ensuring fast performance, mobile optimization, and good accessibility. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforcement, comprehensive security headers, and no visible vulnerabilities. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear privacy and cookie policies including consent mechanisms. Overall, freeCodeCamp.org demonstrates a mature digital presence with high trustworthiness and professionalism.

Scanned

3 of 7 checks could not complete. The site may be unreachable or blocking automated scans, so the results below cover only what could be checked. Try a rescan later.

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
53/ 100 · Medium
Checks completed
4of 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

3 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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

  2. 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

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Keep watching freecodecamp.org

This scan found 10 issues across 3 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
75
Security headers
80
GDPR outside view
53
Average
69

Not counted

  • Email security: did not complete in this scan.
  • DNS health: did not complete in this scan.
  • Network security: did not complete in this scan.
  • 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

The organization operates as a non-profit, focusing on education and technology sectors. Its business model revolves around providing free, high-quality coding education and certifications to a global audience. The platform's competitive advantage lies in its comprehensive curriculum, community support, and open-source approach. Revenue streams likely include donations and sponsorships. The target customer segments include individual learners, students, and professionals seeking to upskill. The platform's partnerships and social media presence enhance its market reach and credibility. Strategic observations highlight a strong brand with consistent messaging and a focus on accessibility and inclusivity.

Security posture

freeCodeCamp.org exhibits a high level of security maturity. The site enforces HTTPS and implements key security headers such as Content Security Policy and Strict-Transport-Security. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed content. However, the absence of a dedicated security policy or incident response page suggests room for improvement in transparency and preparedness. Compliance with GDPR is indicated through privacy policies and cookie consent mechanisms. The platform would benefit from publishing explicit vulnerability disclosure and incident response information to enhance trust and readiness.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact details and procedures for reporting security issues.
  3. Establish and publicize a vulnerability disclosure program to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Enhance transparency around data retention policies and user data handling.
  5. Continue to monitor and update third-party libraries to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
freeCodeCamp.org
Description
freeCodeCamp.org is a non-profit organization that offers free coding education through interactive lessons, projects, and certifications. It aims to help people learn web development, data science, and programming skills.
Key services
Interactive coding lessons, Certification programs, Community forums, Coding projects and challenges
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Gatsby, Google Tag Manager, Font Awesome, Algolia Search
Frameworks
React, Gatsby
Platforms
Web
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Content Security Policy implemented
  • Secure cookies
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Google Analytics via Google Tag Manager
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking mechanisms
  2. Strong focus on free coding education and community engagement
  3. Good privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms
  4. No exposed sensitive data or security vulnerabilities detected
  5. Use of modern web technologies and frameworks
  6. No direct contact emails or phone numbers publicly listed, but contact form and social media channels available
  7. WHOIS data unavailable or privacy protected, common for established non-profits
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern tech stack including React and Gatsby, ensuring fast load times and excellent mobile responsiveness. Integration with Google Tag Manager and Algolia Search enhances analytics and search capabilities. The site uses Font Awesome for icons and employs best practices in CSS and HTML structure. Accessibility features are present but could be further enhanced with ARIA roles and landmarks. SEO optimization is good with proper meta tags and structured data. Hosting details are not explicitly identified but performance indicators suggest reliable infrastructure. Overall, the technical implementation supports a robust and user-friendly educational platform.
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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