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Security report for soundcloud.com

SoundCloud · Media · United States

Low risk. 3 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

82/100

Risk levelLow

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

SoundCloud is a leading online music streaming and sharing platform founded in 2005, serving a global community of artists, bands, DJs, and audio creators. It offers access to over 320 million music tracks and positions itself as one of the largest music communities worldwide. The platform supports web, iOS, and Android applications, leveraging modern technologies such as React and AWS infrastructure. The website demonstrates a high level of digital maturity with fast performance, excellent mobile optimization, and good accessibility. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforcement, bot protection via Datadome, and standard security headers, although DNSSEC is not enabled and explicit security policies are not published. Privacy compliance is well addressed with comprehensive privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms. Overall, SoundCloud presents a professional, trustworthy, and user-friendly platform with extensive analytics and advertising integrations.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of soundcloud.com. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
73/ 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. 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 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';…

  2. 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

  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 soundcloud.com

This scan found 14 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

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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
82
Security headers
60
Email security
85
DNS health
90
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
73
Average
82

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

SoundCloud operates in the media sector with a business model centered on music streaming and community engagement. It targets artists and listeners globally, providing services such as music discovery, sharing, and social interaction. The company is large and well-established, with consistent branding and a strong market position. Its revenue streams likely include advertising, premium subscriptions, and partnerships. The platform integrates with major social media and app stores, enhancing reach and user engagement. The absence of direct contact emails or phone numbers on the homepage suggests a focus on digital self-service and support via contact forms.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and multiple security headers implemented. The use of Datadome indicates proactive bot and fraud protection. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analyzed content. However, the lack of published security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms represents an area for improvement. DNSSEC is not enabled, which could enhance DNS security. Overall, the security measures align with industry best practices for a large online platform.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy page detailing security practices and frameworks.
  3. Provide clear incident response contact channels such as security@ or abuse@ emails.
  4. Implement and publicize a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file.
  5. Maintain transparency on data retention policies and enhance user privacy controls.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
SoundCloud
Description
Discover and play over 320 million music tracks. Join the world’s largest online community of artists, bands, DJs, and audio creators.
Key services
Music streaming, Music sharing, Community engagement for artists and listeners
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, React, AWS DNS, Datadome (bot protection), Google Analytics, DoubleClick, Prebid.js
Frameworks
React
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Client transfer prohibited domain status
  • Use of bot protection (Datadome)
  • Secure cookies and session management

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, ScorecardResearch, Quantserve
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
DoubleClick, Aditude
Tracking pixels
ScorecardResearch, Quantserve, Datadome
Marketing tools
Prebid.js, Cookielaw.org Consent SDK
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenge.
  2. Professional and modern design with responsive layout.
  3. Strong brand presence and consistent branding.
  4. Use of advanced bot protection and ad tech.
  5. Comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms.
  6. No direct company contact emails or phone numbers found on homepage; contact via form.
  7. No explicit security policy or incident response contacts published.
  8. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt found.
  9. Domain WHOIS data supports legitimacy and trustworthiness.
Technical notes

Notes

SoundCloud's technical infrastructure is robust, utilizing modern JavaScript frameworks like React and hosting on AWS. The site loads efficiently with asynchronous script loading and CDN usage. Advertising and analytics technologies are integrated thoughtfully, balancing monetization and user experience. Mobile optimization is excellent, with responsive design and alternate mobile URLs. Accessibility features are present but could be further enhanced. The absence of a known CMS suggests a custom-built platform tailored to the company's needs. Overall, the technical implementation supports scalability, performance, and security.
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. 81/100 +11Low23 findingsView report
  2. 70/100 −5Medium19 findingsView report
  3. 75/100Medium22 findingsView report
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