Skip to main content

Security report for gcn.ie

GCN · Media · Ireland

Low risk. 2 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

78/100

Risk levelLow

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

GCN is a well-established Irish LGBTQ+ media organization providing a national monthly free gay magazine, online news, entertainment content, podcasts, and events. It holds a strong market position as Ireland's leading LGBTQ+ media outlet with a consistent brand and high-quality content. The website is built on WordPress with modern technologies and integrates multiple analytics and advertising tools. The security posture is generally good with HTTPS and no exposed sensitive data, but lacks advanced security headers and formal security policies. Privacy compliance is limited due to missing visible privacy and cookie policies. Overall, the site is professional, trustworthy, and accessible with room for improvement in privacy and security transparency.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 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

2 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 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

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

Keep watching gcn.ie

This scan found 19 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.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. See sample alerts.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

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
90
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
78

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

GCN operates primarily in the media sector targeting the LGBTQ+ community and allies in Ireland. Its business model includes free print and digital magazine distribution, advertising revenue, and subscription services. The company demonstrates strong digital maturity with active social media channels and multimedia content. The domain age and WHOIS data support legitimacy and consistent business history. The partnership ecosystem includes major social media platforms and advertising networks. Growth indicators include recent content updates and award recognitions. Strategic observations suggest focusing on enhancing privacy compliance and security transparency to strengthen user trust.

Security posture

The website maintains a moderate to good security posture with HTTPS enabled and no visible sensitive data leaks. However, it lacks DNSSEC, security headers, and published security or incident response policies. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt files are present, which limits transparency for security researchers. The use of Google reCAPTCHA and third-party analytics is noted, but privacy controls are minimal. Compliance gaps with GDPR cookie consent and privacy policy visibility are evident. The security culture appears functional but could benefit from formalized policies and improved user privacy mechanisms.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Implement and publish security headers such as Content Security Policy, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options.
  3. Publish a comprehensive privacy policy and cookie consent mechanism to improve GDPR compliance.
  4. Create and maintain a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting.
  5. Develop and communicate a security incident response plan and contact channels to enhance trust and preparedness.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
GCN
Description
GCN (Gay Community News) is Ireland's national monthly free gay magazine. Pick up a copy, read it online or download our app.
Key services
Monthly free gay magazine, Online news and entertainment content, Digital app for magazine access, Podcasts, Competitions, Advertising services
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 6.8.3, jQuery, Swiper.js, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, Cloudflare DNS, AddToAny social sharing
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA
  • No DNSSEC (not enabled)

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, Twitter Universal Website Tag
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
Google AdSense, AdButler, DoubleClick
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Twitter Universal Website Tag
Marketing tools
Facebook Pixel, Twitter Ads
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a well-established LGBTQ+ media outlet in Ireland.
  2. Content is rich, updated, and professionally presented.
  3. Strong social media integration and presence.
  4. Uses modern web technologies and analytics tools.
  5. Lacks explicit privacy and cookie policy pages or visible consent mechanisms.
  6. No visible security policy or incident response information.
  7. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt found.
  8. WHOIS data is consistent and domain is not privacy protected.
  9. No WAF or blocking detected; site fully accessible.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is powered by WordPress 6.8.3 with jQuery and Swiper.js for UI components. It uses Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, and Twitter tracking for analytics and marketing. Hosting is via Maxer Host Limited with Cloudflare DNS services. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and accessibility features. SEO is well implemented with structured data (JSON-LD) and Open Graph tags. Technical risks include lack of DNSSEC and missing security headers. The site shows no signs of technical debt or outdated libraries but could improve in security best practices and privacy controls.
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

Reviews of this site

Share your experience with gcn.ie. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review gcn.ie.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.