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Security report for nj.com

Advance Local · Media · United States

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

Security score

72/100

Risk levelMedium

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

NJ.com is a leading local news website serving New Jersey residents with comprehensive coverage of local news, sports, weather, and entertainment. Owned by Advance Local, it operates as part of a larger network of regional news sites, providing trusted and timely information to its audience. The website's business model relies primarily on advertising revenue supplemented by subscription services. Technically, NJ.com employs modern web technologies including React, Google Tag Manager, and various advertising and analytics platforms, ensuring a dynamic and data-driven user experience. The site is mobile-optimized and maintains good SEO and accessibility standards. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS, uses multiple security headers, and integrates consent mechanisms for privacy compliance. However, it lacks publicly disclosed security policies and incident response contacts, which could be improved. Overall, NJ.com presents a professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained digital presence with a strong market position in local media.

Scanned

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

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 X-Frame-Options header

      Prevents clickjacking attacks

      What to do: Add "X-Frame-Options: DENY" or "X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN"

  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 Protocols Supported

      Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

      What to do: Disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and all SSL versions

      • CWE-327
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V12.1.1

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

Keep watching nj.com

This scan found 20 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
62
Security headers
30
Email security
97
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
58
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

NJ.com holds a strong market position as the primary local news source for New Jersey, leveraging the resources and network of its parent company, Advance Local. Its competitive advantage lies in its extensive local coverage, brand recognition, and integration with sister sites across multiple states. Revenue streams are primarily advertising-based, with additional income from subscriptions and sponsored content. The target customer segment includes New Jersey residents and those interested in regional news. The site demonstrates growth potential through digital innovation and cross-promotion within the Advance Local network. Partnerships with major ad networks and analytics providers support monetization and audience insights. Strategic observations suggest continued investment in digital content and privacy compliance will sustain its market leadership.

Security posture

NJ.com exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and integration of privacy consent frameworks. The use of reputable third-party ad and analytics services is balanced with privacy compliance efforts. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy and incident response contact reduces transparency and may hinder rapid response to security incidents. The site would benefit from establishing a vulnerability disclosure program and publishing security best practices to enhance trust. Overall, the security measures align with industry standards for media websites, but there is room for improvement in policy transparency and incident readiness.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to improve transparency.
  2. Implement a formal vulnerability disclosure program and security.txt file.
  3. Enhance accessibility features to meet higher compliance standards.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  5. Increase visibility of privacy compliance measures and data retention policies.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Advance Local
Description
NJ.com provides the latest New Jersey news, sports, weather, entertainment and breaking updates, covering local news from Jersey City, Atlantic City, and beyond.
Key services
Local news reporting, Sports coverage, Weather updates, Entertainment news
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, PubMatic, Tinypass, Sophi, AdRecover, Datadome, Marfeel SDK, Cardmethod, Boomerang
Frameworks
Arc Fusion
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data detected
  • Secure forms with consent mechanisms

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Ahrefs Analytics, Mather Analytics, Boomerang
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
PubMatic, Amazon Ads, Rubicon Project, Casale Media, Google Ad Manager, AdRecover
Tracking pixels
ScorecardResearch, BlueConic, Datadome, Taboola, Crwdcntrl
Marketing tools
Tinypass, Sophi, Marfeel SDK, Cardmethod
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a major local news portal for New Jersey.
  2. Content is rich, professionally presented, and updated frequently.
  3. Strong use of modern web technologies and analytics.
  4. Privacy and cookie policies are present and GDPR compliant.
  5. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on homepage; contact via forms.
  6. No WHOIS data publicly available, likely privacy protected.
  7. No security policy or incident response information publicly disclosed.
  8. Advertising and tracking practices are extensive but transparent.
  9. No adult or questionable content detected.
  10. No WAF or blocking mechanisms detected.
Technical notes

Notes

NJ.com is built on a modern technology stack featuring React and Arc Fusion CMS, supported by a suite of advertising, analytics, and consent management tools. The site demonstrates good performance and mobile optimization, though some third-party scripts may impact load times. SEO is well implemented with comprehensive meta tags and structured data. Accessibility is basic but could be improved. Hosting details are not explicitly identified but likely leverage enterprise-grade infrastructure. Technical risks include dependency on multiple third-party services which require ongoing monitoring. Opportunities exist to streamline scripts and enhance accessibility compliance to improve user experience and reduce technical debt.
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. 76/100Low25 findingsView report
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