Skip to main content

Security report for thedispatch.com

The Dispatch · Media · United States

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

Security score

65/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Dispatch is a small, independent media company focused on providing fact-based reporting and thoughtful analysis from a center-right perspective. Founded in 2019, it operates a subscription-based digital platform offering news, political commentary, and multiple specialized newsletters. The company targets readers interested in conservative principles and in-depth political and cultural coverage. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern JavaScript libraries and SEO tools, hosted likely via GoDaddy and DNSimple. The site demonstrates good mobile optimization and user experience with a professional design and clear navigation. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, reCAPTCHA Enterprise, and tracking protections, though DNSSEC is not enabled and explicit security policies are absent. Privacy compliance is limited due to missing visible privacy and cookie policies. Overall, the website is trustworthy and professional, with room for improvement in privacy transparency and DNS security.

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. 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

  2. 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"

    • 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 thedispatch.com

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. 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

SSL/TLS
65
Security headers
15
Email security
70
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
Average
65

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 Dispatch positions itself as a niche media outlet serving a center-right audience with a subscription revenue model. Its competitive advantage lies in its independent, principled reporting and a suite of newsletters catering to various interests such as politics, energy, and culture. The company leverages digital marketing and analytics tools to engage and grow its subscriber base. The absence of parent or subsidiary companies suggests a focused, standalone operation. The presence of multiple social media channels and a clear brand identity supports its market presence. Growth indicators include active newsletter offerings and a professional web presence. Strategic partnerships or payment processors are not explicitly identified in the data.

Security posture

The Dispatch maintains a solid security posture with HTTPS enforced and use of advanced tools like Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise to protect user interactions. The site uses asynchronous loading of tracking and analytics scripts to optimize performance and security. However, the lack of DNSSEC implementation and absence of visible security headers or published security policies represent areas for enhancement. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analysis. Incident response and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms are not publicly documented, which could be a compliance gap. Overall, the security maturity is good for a media website but could benefit from formalized policies and DNS security improvements.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Publish a comprehensive privacy policy and cookie policy with clear GDPR compliance statements.
  3. Implement and document a security policy and incident response plan accessible to users.
  4. Add security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP), X-Frame-Options, and HSTS to enhance protection.
  5. Consider publishing a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
The Dispatch
Description
Fact-based reporting and analysis on politics, policy, and culture—informed by conservative principles.
Key services
News reporting, Political and cultural commentary, Multiple newsletters
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, Google Tag Manager, Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise, Alpine.js, Swiper.js, GLightbox, Piano ID (subscription management)
Frameworks
Yoast SEO
Platforms
WordPress CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise
  • Use of security-related scripts like PostHog and Facebook Pixel with proper async loading

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via GTM), PostHog, Parsely
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
Nextdoor Ads
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, PostHog, Google Analytics (via GTM), Reddit Pixel, Parsely
Marketing tools
Piano ID (subscription and paywall management)
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional, subscription-based center-right news and commentary platform.
  2. Uses modern web technologies and SEO best practices.
  3. No evidence of privacy or cookie policies explicitly found in the provided content.
  4. Multiple newsletters indicate active content marketing and audience engagement.
  5. Security posture is good but could be improved with DNSSEC and explicit security policies.
  6. No WAF or blocking detected; content fully accessible.
  7. No adult or questionable content detected; safe for general audiences.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern WordPress platform with integration of popular JavaScript libraries such as Alpine.js, Swiper.js, and GLightbox for enhanced UI/UX. SEO is managed via Yoast SEO Premium, and analytics are handled through Google Tag Manager, PostHog, and Parsely. The site uses Piano ID for subscription management, indicating a mature paywall system. Performance is moderate with asynchronous script loading and CDN usage. Mobile optimization is good, though accessibility features are basic. The technical stack is well-chosen for a content-driven subscription media site, with opportunities to improve security configurations and privacy compliance.
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 thedispatch.com. 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 thedispatch.com.

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.