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Security report for the-independent.com

The Independent · Media · United Kingdom

Low risk. 2 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

90/100

Risk levelLow

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

The Independent is a prominent international news media organization with a strong presence in the UK and US markets. The website offers comprehensive news coverage, political commentary, and feature articles targeting a general audience interested in current affairs. The brand is well-established and maintains consistent branding and high content quality. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including React, various ad and analytics platforms, and subscription management tools, indicating a mature digital infrastructure. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforcement and security headers, though there is room for improvement in publishing explicit security policies and incident response information. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear policies and consent mechanisms. Overall, the site is professional, trustworthy, and well-optimized for performance and accessibility.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
85/ 100 · Low
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

2 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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

  2. 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 the-independent.com

This scan found 10 issues across 5 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
72
Security headers
95
Email security
100
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
85
Average
90

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

The Independent operates as a large media entity focused on news publishing and political analysis. Its business model includes advertising revenue and subscription services managed via Piano. The site integrates multiple advertising networks and marketing tools, reflecting a diversified revenue stream. The target audience is broad, encompassing general news consumers primarily in the UK and US. The brand's market position is strong, supported by consistent content quality and digital presence. Partnerships with major ad networks and social media platforms enhance reach and monetization. The absence of direct contact information on the main site suggests a focus on digital engagement rather than direct customer service. The domain WHOIS inconsistency likely reflects domain aliasing rather than suspicious activity.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid security posture with HTTPS enabled and multiple security headers implemented, reducing risks of common web attacks. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the source. However, the lack of publicly available security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms indicates gaps in transparency and preparedness. The extensive use of third-party ad and tracking scripts introduces potential privacy and security risks that require ongoing monitoring. Overall, the site is secure but could enhance trust by publishing dedicated security and incident response information.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page with clear contact channels.
  2. Implement and publicly expose a security.txt file to facilitate vulnerability disclosures.
  3. Regularly audit and minimize third-party scripts to reduce privacy and security risks.
  4. Enhance transparency by providing verified company contact information for security and general inquiries.
  5. Maintain and update privacy and cookie policies to reflect evolving regulations and user expectations.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
The Independent
Description
Latest news, comment and features from The Independent US
Key services
news publishing, political commentary, feature articles, subscription services
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Google Tag Manager, Prebid.js, DoubleClick, Sentry, Piano (subscription/paywall), Taboola, Braze, Viafoura (comments), DotMetrics
Frameworks
React
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • CSP implemented
  • Secure cookies
  • No exposed credentials in source

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Sentry, Braze, DotMetrics
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
DoubleClick, Index Exchange, Pubmatic, Rubicon, 33Across, Improve Digital, Kargo, Mediagrid, Minute Media, Xandr, Ozone Project, Collective, Ad You Like, Seedtag, Epsilon, GumGum, Criteo, Invibes
Tracking pixels
Sentry, Braze, DotMetrics, Viafoura
Marketing tools
Braze, Piano, Taboola
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. Content is professionally presented with strong editorial focus
  3. Multiple ad networks and tracking services are integrated
  4. Privacy and cookie policies are present and comprehensive
  5. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on main page
  6. WHOIS data for www.the-independent.com is missing, likely due to domain aliasing
  7. Strong use of modern web technologies and frameworks
  8. Good SEO and accessibility practices observed
Technical notes

Notes

The Independent website is built on a modern React framework with extensive use of JavaScript libraries for analytics, advertising, and user engagement. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and accessibility features. Performance is moderate, with potential improvements in script loading and ad refresh intervals. The use of multiple ad networks and tracking services indicates a complex ecosystem requiring careful management to avoid performance degradation and privacy issues. The absence of explicit CMS identification suggests a custom or proprietary content management solution. Hosting details are not explicitly found but likely involve enterprise-grade infrastructure given the brand scale.
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. 90/100Low18 findingsView report
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