Skip to main content

Security report for retro.social

Mountain Town LLC · Technology · United States

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in Email security, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

62/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Retro Social is a small, niche decentralized social network operating on the Mastodon platform, themed around retro-futurism and the 19A0s aesthetic. Owned by Mountain Town LLC and operated by Andrew Roach, it serves a community fascinated by forgotten futures and offers access to the broader fediverse. The platform leverages open-source Mastodon software version 4.2.20 and is hosted on DreamHost infrastructure. Registration is periodically open and always available to Patreon backers, indicating a community-supported business model. Technically, the website uses modern web technologies including JavaScript, SVG, and CSS with a responsive design optimized for mobile devices. The site is well-structured with good SEO and accessibility basics, though some advanced accessibility features could be improved. Hosting on DreamHost and use of Mastodon software indicate a stable and recognized technical foundation. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS and has domain transfer protections but lacks DNSSEC and explicit security headers, which are recommended to enhance security posture. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure information is provided, and cookie consent mechanisms are absent, indicating room for improvement in privacy compliance. The WHOIS data shows privacy protection for the registrant, which is justified for this type of small social network. Overall, Retro Social presents a trustworthy and professional niche social platform with good business credibility and technical implementation. Strategic improvements in security headers, privacy compliance, and incident response transparency would strengthen its security posture and user trust.

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

4 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

    • Critical

      No email authentication configured

      Domain is vulnerable to email spoofing

      What to do: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC immediately

  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 retro.social

This scan found 23 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. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

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
72
Security headers
75
Email security
60
DNS health
70
Network security
40
GDPR outside view
53
Average
62

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

Retro Social occupies a niche market within the decentralized social media ecosystem, leveraging Mastodon's open-source platform to attract users interested in retro-futurism and alternative social networking. Its business model includes periodic open registrations and Patreon-based access, indicating a community-supported revenue stream. The operator, Mountain Town LLC, is a small entity based in the US, with no subsidiaries or complex corporate structure. The platform's competitive advantage lies in its unique thematic focus and integration with the fediverse, appealing to enthusiasts of forgotten futures. Partnerships with Patreon and Mastodon provide ecosystem support, while the absence of advertising suggests a user-centric approach. Growth indicators include active user counts and ongoing software updates. The business maintains moderate trust signals through transparent admin contact and open source usage.

Security posture

The security maturity of Retro Social is moderate. The site enforces HTTPS and domain transfer restrictions but lacks DNSSEC and common security headers such as Content-Security-Policy or X-Frame-Options. No explicit security or incident response policies are published, and no dedicated security contact channels are provided. The absence of cookie consent and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms indicates gaps in privacy and security compliance. However, no critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analysis. The use of privacy-protected WHOIS is justified and common for small operators. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a small community platform but would benefit from enhancements in security headers, privacy compliance, and incident response readiness.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Implement standard security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  3. Publish clear security and privacy policies including incident response and vulnerability disclosure information.
  4. Add a cookie consent mechanism to comply with privacy regulations and improve user trust.
  5. Enhance accessibility features and conduct regular security audits to maintain platform integrity.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Mountain Town LLC
Description
RETRO.SOCIAL runs mastodon, and is a gateway to the fediverse. It is owned by Mountain Town LLC, and operated by Andrew Roach. It is a decentralized social network themed around the 19A0s, targeting users fascinated by forgotten futures.
Key services
Mastodon social networking, Access to fediverse, Community for enthusiasts of retro-futurism
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Mastodon 4.2.20, JavaScript, SVG, CSS
Frameworks
Mastodon
Platforms
Fediverse
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
60/100
Good practices seen
  • Domain status clientTransferProhibited
  • No DNSSEC enabled

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a Mastodon instance themed around retro-futurism.
  2. Content is accessible and complete with no blocking.
  3. No explicit privacy or cookie consent mechanisms detected.
  4. Contact email is provided with clear operator identity.
  5. No phone numbers or physical addresses found.
  6. No security.txt or vulnerability disclosure found.
  7. No explicit security policies or incident response contacts.
  8. Uses DreamHost DNS and hosting infrastructure.
  9. Open source Mastodon platform with version 4.2.20.
  10. No advertising or tracking scripts detected except Patreon link.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on the Mastodon open-source social networking platform version 4.2.20, utilizing JavaScript, CSS, and SVG for UI elements. Hosting is provided by DreamHost, as indicated by the nameservers. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and includes proper meta tags for SEO and social sharing (Open Graph). Performance is moderate with no major technical debt visible. No CMS is detected beyond Mastodon itself. The technical stack is modern and appropriate for a decentralized social network, though improvements in security headers and privacy compliance are recommended to reduce risks and enhance user experience.
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 retro.social. 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 retro.social.

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.