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Security report for freestar.com

Freestar · Technology · United States

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

Security score

69/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Freestar is a specialized programmatic advertising partner focused on providing header bidding and monetization solutions to digital publishers and advertisers. The company positions itself as a trusted partner with a strong emphasis on long-term growth and white glove customer service. Their market presence is supported by industry partnerships and client testimonials, highlighting their effectiveness in increasing ad revenue for clients. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with a modern tech stack including Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight Tag, and other marketing tools, hosted with GoDaddy and DNS managed via Cloudflare. The site is well-optimized for SEO and mobile devices, offering a professional user experience. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and domain registration protections, though improvements can be made by enabling DNSSEC and adding security headers. Privacy compliance is currently basic, lacking explicit privacy and cookie policies or consent mechanisms. Overall, the website reflects a mature digital presence with room for enhanced compliance and security transparency.

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 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 freestar.com

This scan found 22 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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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
53
Average
69

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

Freestar operates in the technology and media sectors, targeting digital publishers and advertisers seeking to maximize programmatic ad revenue. Their business model revolves around proprietary header bidding technology, premium demand partnerships, and comprehensive ad operations support. The company demonstrates competitive advantages through client success stories and industry certifications. Revenue streams likely include technology licensing, ad mediation services, and consulting. The target customer segments are enterprise publishers and app developers. Growth indicators include multiple case studies showing significant revenue increases for clients. The partnership ecosystem includes Google, IAB Tech Lab, and Prebid, reinforcing market credibility. Strategic observations suggest Freestar is focused on innovation in ad tech and expanding its audience development services.

Security posture

Freestar's security maturity is moderate to good. The website enforces HTTPS and uses domain status locks to prevent unauthorized changes. However, the absence of DNSSEC and security headers such as Content Security Policy or HSTS reduces the overall security posture. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the content. Privacy compliance gaps exist due to missing privacy and cookie policies and lack of consent mechanisms, which could pose regulatory risks. Incident response and security policy information are not publicly available, indicating potential areas for improvement in transparency and readiness. The extensive use of third-party tracking and marketing scripts increases the attack surface and privacy considerations. Overall, the security culture appears operational but could benefit from formalized policies and enhanced technical controls.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Implement and publish comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with GDPR compliance details.
  3. Add a cookie consent banner/mechanism to comply with privacy regulations.
  4. Deploy security headers such as CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
  5. Publish a security policy and incident response contact information to enhance trust and transparency.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Freestar
Description
Freestar is a programmatic ad partner and header bidding solution that leverages a mix of advertising partners and ad products to help publishers maximize revenue. They focus on long-term growth and provide white glove customer service.
Key services
Header Bidding, AMP Ad Solutions, In-App Mediation, Unique Demand Partnerships, SEO and Audience Development Support, Dedicated Customer Success and Yield Management
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, Avada Theme, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, LinkedIn Insight Tag, OptinMonster, jQuery, iframe-resizer, Cloudflare DNS
Frameworks
WordPress CMS
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Domain status includes clientDeleteProhibited, clientRenewProhibited, clientTransferProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Google Ads Conversion Tracking
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Ads, Prebid
Tracking pixels
LinkedIn Insight Tag, Google Ads Conversion Tracking, Reddit Pixel, Microsoft Clarity
Marketing tools
OptinMonster, Pardot
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 professional design.
  2. Strong focus on programmatic advertising solutions for publishers and advertisers.
  3. Multiple client testimonials and case studies enhance trust.
  4. Use of modern tracking and marketing tools indicates digital maturity.
  5. Lack of explicit privacy, cookie, and terms of service pages reduces compliance score.
  6. No visible security headers detected; DNSSEC not enabled.
  7. WHOIS data shows domain is well maintained and secured against unauthorized transfers.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS using the Avada theme and includes modern JavaScript libraries and marketing tools such as Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight Tag, and OptinMonster. Hosting and DNS are managed by GoDaddy and Cloudflare respectively, providing reliable infrastructure. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. Accessibility is basic but could be improved. The site uses multiple tracking pixels and scripts, indicating extensive data collection for analytics and marketing. Technical risks include the lack of DNSSEC and security headers, which could be exploited. There is no evidence of technical debt or outdated libraries, suggesting good maintenance. Opportunities exist to modernize security practices and enhance privacy compliance to reduce regulatory and reputational risks.
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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