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Security report for hachyderm.io

Hachyderm · Technology · Switzerland

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

Security score

76/100

Risk levelLow

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

Hachyderm.io operates as an independent Mastodon social networking server primarily serving LGBTQIA+ and BLM communities within the technology sector. It provides a federated platform for tech professionals to engage, share content, and participate in a safe online space. The platform leverages the open-source Mastodon software, ensuring decentralized social networking capabilities. The website demonstrates a consistent brand identity and targets a niche audience with a focus on inclusivity and community support. Technically, the site is built on modern web technologies including React and ES modules, hosted likely on AWS infrastructure as indicated by DNS records. The platform is mobile optimized and offers a moderate performance experience. However, some accessibility and SEO optimizations are basic, and there is room for improvement in security headers and privacy compliance mechanisms. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and has domain transfer protections in place. The absence of DNSSEC and security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security represents areas for enhancement. No explicit incident response or security policies are publicly available, which could be improved to bolster trust and compliance. Privacy policy exists but is basic, and cookie consent mechanisms are lacking. Overall, Hachyderm.io presents a trustworthy and professionally maintained platform with a clear community focus. Strategic improvements in security practices, privacy compliance, and transparency would further strengthen its position and user confidence.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of hachyderm.io. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
58/ 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

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 hachyderm.io

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
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  • 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
75
Email security
70
DNS health
80
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
58
Average
76

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

Hachyderm.io occupies a specialized niche within the federated social networking ecosystem, targeting marginalized groups in the tech industry. Its business model centers on providing a safe, ad-free, and community-driven social platform leveraging Mastodon's open-source technology. The server's relatively recent domain registration aligns with its startup phase. The absence of direct monetization or commercial partnerships suggests a community or volunteer-driven operation. The platform's active user base of approximately 5.6K monthly users indicates moderate traction. The ecosystem includes links to Mastodon official resources and related social platforms, but no direct commercial partnerships or subsidiaries are evident. Growth potential lies in expanding community engagement and enhancing platform features while maintaining its core values.

Security posture

The security posture of Hachyderm.io is moderate. HTTPS is enforced, and domain transfer protections are active, reducing risks of domain hijacking. However, the lack of DNSSEC and missing security headers expose the site to potential DNS spoofing and clickjacking risks. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. The absence of published security policies and incident response contacts limits transparency and preparedness visibility. Privacy compliance is partial, with a basic privacy policy but no cookie consent mechanism. Overall, the site demonstrates foundational security but would benefit from implementing advanced security headers, DNSSEC, and formalized security documentation to improve resilience and user trust.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to protect against DNS spoofing and improve domain security.
  2. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  3. Publish detailed security and incident response policies with clear contact channels for reporting issues.
  4. Introduce a cookie consent mechanism to enhance privacy compliance and user transparency.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party libraries and dependencies to mitigate vulnerabilities.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Hachyderm
Description
Hachyderm is a safe space, LGBTQIA+ and BLM, primarily comprised of tech industry professionals world wide.
Key services
Federated social networking, Community engagement, Content sharing
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Mastodon 4.4.3, React, JavaScript ES Modules, AWS DNS (Amazon Route 53)
Frameworks
Mastodon, React
Platforms
Fediverse
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
70/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Client transfer prohibited domain status

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Transparency
poor

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a Mastodon social network instance focused on LGBTQIA+ and BLM communities in tech.
  2. Content is user-generated posts with social interaction features.
  3. No direct company contact emails or phone numbers found.
  4. Privacy policy is present but basic; no cookie consent mechanism detected.
  5. No terms of service page found.
  6. No explicit security or incident response policies published.
  7. Uses modern web technologies and is mobile optimized.
  8. No advertising or tracking detected in the HTML content.
  9. Domain uses privacy protection and AWS DNS services.
  10. No WAF or blocking mechanisms detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on the Mastodon platform version 4.4.3, utilizing React and modern JavaScript modules for frontend rendering. Hosting appears to be on AWS infrastructure, inferred from DNS nameservers. The site is mobile optimized with responsive design and includes accessibility features at a basic level. Performance is moderate, with no major loading issues detected. SEO is basic with standard meta tags and Open Graph data present. There is no CMS detected, as the platform is a custom social network instance. Technical debt appears low, but improvements in accessibility and SEO could enhance user experience and discoverability. The absence of advanced analytics or tracking scripts suggests a privacy-conscious approach.
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. 75/100 −1Medium27 findingsView report
  2. 76/100Low26 findingsView report
  3. 76/100Low28 findingsView report
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