Skip to main content

Security report for sifted.eu

Sifted EU Ltd · Media · United Kingdom

Partial score · DNS & email only

72/100

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

Sifted EU Ltd operates a leading online media platform delivering comprehensive startup news, analysis, and insights focused on the European ecosystem. Backed by the Financial Times, it offers a mix of free and subscription-based content including articles, podcasts, newsletters, and events. The platform targets startup founders, investors, and industry professionals, positioning itself as a trusted source for European startup intelligence. Technically, the website is built on modern frameworks like Next.js and React, integrated with advanced analytics and marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, HubSpot, and Piano for subscription management. The site demonstrates excellent performance, mobile optimization, and SEO practices. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, appropriate security headers, and no detected vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. Privacy compliance is robust, featuring clear privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms aligned with GDPR. Overall, the site reflects a mature digital presence with high professionalism and trustworthiness, supporting its role as a key media player in its market.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of sifted.eu. View the latest report
4 of 7 checks could not complete. The site may be unreachable or blocking automated scans, so the results below cover only what could be checked. Try a rescan later.

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
88/ 100 · Low
Checks completed
3of 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. 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';…

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

Keep watching sifted.eu

This scan found 5 issues across 2 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

Security headers
55
GDPR outside view
88
Average
72

Not counted

  • SSL/TLS: did not complete in this scan.
  • Email security: did not complete in this scan.
  • DNS health: did not complete in this scan.
  • Network security: did not complete in this scan.
  • 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

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention sifted.eu, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
66
Employees
0
Customers
66
Third parties
0
Weak passwords
3%

2 subdomains affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for sifted.eu.

Select it in the checkout above.

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

Sifted EU Ltd is positioned as an essential media entity within the European startup and venture capital landscape. Its business model combines free access with premium Pro subscriptions offering exclusive content and research. The company leverages partnerships and subdomains for events and intelligence services, enhancing its ecosystem presence. Its content strategy covers diverse sectors including AI, fintech, climate tech, and healthtech, appealing to a broad professional audience. The backing by Financial Times adds significant credibility and market positioning. The company maintains consistent branding and high-quality content production, supported by a well-structured website and active social media engagement. No suspicious or inconsistent business patterns were detected, and the domain registration aligns well with the company's stated identity and location.

Security posture

The website exhibits a strong security posture with mandatory HTTPS enforcement and comprehensive security headers such as HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, and others. There is no evidence of exposed sensitive information or use of vulnerable libraries. The presence of a cookie consent mechanism and privacy policy indicates attention to data protection compliance. However, no explicit security policy or incident response information was found, which could be an area for improvement. The use of multiple third-party scripts necessitates ongoing monitoring to mitigate potential risks. Overall, the security measures in place are appropriate for the business type and digital footprint, supporting a secure user experience.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to enhance transparency and preparedness.
  2. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and dependencies to prevent vulnerabilities.
  3. Enhance accessibility features to meet or exceed WCAG standards.
  4. Consider adding explicit data retention and processing details in privacy documentation.
  5. Maintain continuous monitoring of security posture and compliance with evolving regulations.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Sifted EU Ltd
Description
Sifted provides the latest startup news, analysis and in-depth reporting on Europe's founders, investors and operators. It is backed by the Financial Times.
Key services
News articles, Analysis, Interviews, Podcasts, Newsletters, Events, Pro subscription content, Briefings and reports
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Next.js, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, HubSpot, Cookiebot, DoubleClick, Piano (Tinypass), Datadog
Frameworks
Next.js, React
Platforms
HubSpot, Piano, Google Ads, Facebook Ads
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • Cookie consent mechanism implemented
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Mixpanel, HubSpot
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Ads, DoubleClick, Facebook Ads
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Mixpanel, HubSpot
Marketing tools
HubSpot, Piano (Tinypass), Cookiebot
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional media platform focused on European startup ecosystem
  2. Comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms
  3. Use of multiple third-party analytics and marketing tools with clear disclosures
  4. Content includes news, analysis, interviews, podcasts, newsletters, and events
  5. Strong branding and consistent design throughout the site
  6. No signs of WAF or content blocking
  7. Security headers and HTTPS are properly implemented
  8. No exposed sensitive data or obvious vulnerabilities detected
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built using modern web technologies including React and Next.js, ensuring server-side rendering and optimized performance. It integrates with multiple analytics and marketing platforms such as Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, HubSpot, and Piano for subscription management. The content is managed via DatoCMS, a headless CMS, enabling flexible content delivery. The site is well-optimized for mobile devices and includes SEO best practices with comprehensive meta tags and Open Graph data. Performance is fast with efficient resource loading and minimal blocking scripts. The technical infrastructure supports a scalable and professional media platform with opportunities for further enhancements in accessibility and security transparency.
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. 72/100Medium28 findingsView report
  2. 72/100Medium28 findingsView report
Reviews of this site

Share your experience with sifted.eu. 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 sifted.eu.

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.