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Security report for sourcehut.org

Registrant of sourcehut.org · Technology · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

51/100

Risk levelMedium

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

SourceHut is an open source software development platform offering a comprehensive suite of tools including git and Mercurial hosting, continuous integration, mailing lists, code review, ticket tracking, real-time chat, and wikis. It targets software project maintainers and collaborators, emphasizing privacy, minimalism, and no tracking or advertising. The platform is positioned as a niche alternative to larger commercial services, focusing on open source principles and community trust. Technically, the website is built using the Hugo static site generator, with a modern and performant infrastructure supporting Linux and BSD platforms. The site is well optimized for mobile and accessibility, with clear navigation and professional design. Security posture is strong in terms of privacy and user control, offering PGP encrypted emails, two-factor authentication, and detailed audit logs, though some standard security headers and DNSSEC are not enabled. Overall, the domain registration data is consistent and legitimate, supporting the trustworthiness of the platform. There are no signs of tracking, advertising, or analytics, aligning with the privacy-first philosophy. The website content is safe for general audiences with no adult or questionable content detected.

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

6 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 sourcehut.org

This scan found 28 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.

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Recommended

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  • 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
52
Security headers
30
Email security
55
DNS health
75
Network security
40
GDPR outside view
53
Average
51

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

SourceHut operates as a small but important player in the technology sector, focusing on open source software infrastructure. Its business model revolves around providing hosted services for open source projects, likely generating revenue through subscriptions or donations, though explicit monetization details are not provided. The platform's competitive advantage lies in its privacy-centric approach, minimalistic design, and comprehensive toolset tailored for developers. Partnerships such as with hellotux.com for merchandise indicate ecosystem expansion. The company is registered in the UK with a presence in the Netherlands, suggesting a European operational base. Growth indicators include active blog updates and public alpha availability. The platform fosters a strong community and open source ethos, which supports sustainable growth and trust.

Security posture

SourceHut demonstrates a mature security posture with several best practices implemented, including PGP encrypted communications, two-factor authentication, and fine-grained OAuth controls. However, the absence of DNSSEC and explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy or X-Frame-Options indicates room for improvement. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure policies are publicly documented, which could impact rapid response to security events. The platform avoids tracking and advertising, reducing privacy risks. Overall, the security culture appears strong but could benefit from formalized policies and enhanced technical controls to further mitigate risks and improve compliance.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Publish a formal security policy and incident response plan accessible on the website.
  3. Implement standard security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  4. Add a cookie consent mechanism if any cookies are used to align with privacy best practices.
  5. Consider publishing a security.txt file to facilitate vulnerability reporting and improve transparency.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Registrant of sourcehut.org
VAT number
NL003921490B16
Registration number
84165251
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Registrant of sourcehut.org
Description
sourcehut is a network of useful open source tools for software project maintainers and collaborators, including git repos, bug tracking, continuous integration, and mailing lists.
Key services
Hosted git repositories, Mercurial support, Continuous integration, Mailing lists and code review tools, Ticket tracking, Real-time chat services, Account management and security, Markdown- and git-driven wikis, Ad-hoc source code hosting, Static web hosting
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Hugo static site generator, Git, Mercurial, SSH, PGP, OAuth
Platforms
Linux, BSD
Performance
fast
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • No tracking or advertising
  • PGP encrypted and signed emails
  • Two-factor authentication with TOTP
  • Detailed audit logs
  • Fine-grained OAuth controls

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
excellent

Advertising

Transparency
excellent

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking.
  2. Strong emphasis on privacy and no tracking or advertising.
  3. Comprehensive suite of open source development tools.
  4. Clear contact information and legal disclosures provided.
  5. No signs of suspicious or malicious content.
  6. No cookie consent mechanism despite privacy focus.
  7. No explicit security headers detected in provided data.
  8. No analytics or tracking services detected.
  9. Domain registration is stable and consistent with business.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built using the Hugo static site generator, indicating a modern and efficient static site architecture. The use of multiple custom subdomains for services (git.sr.ht, builds.sr.ht, lists.sr.ht, etc.) shows a modular platform design. The hosting and DNS are managed via 1API GmbH with custom name servers, suggesting self-managed infrastructure. Performance is fast with good mobile optimization and accessibility. No client-side JavaScript dependencies are required for core functionality, enhancing security and usability. The absence of analytics and tracking scripts aligns with the privacy-first approach but limits data-driven optimization. Overall, the technical implementation is robust, modern, and well aligned with the platform's privacy and usability goals.
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

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