Skip to main content

Security report for thedispatch.mt

Corporate Identities · Media · Malta

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

Security score

64/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Dispatch, operated by Corporate Identities, is a Malta-based news media website providing curated international and local news with a global outlook and local perspective. Founded in 2020, it targets a general audience interested in news relevant to Malta and beyond. The website is built on WordPress and hosted by Automattic Inc., leveraging modern web technologies including Google Analytics, Tag Manager, and OneSignal for notifications. The site demonstrates good SEO practices and mobile optimization, with consistent branding and a professional design. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and domain transfer protection enabled, though DNSSEC is not enabled and some security headers could be improved. Privacy compliance is partial, with a cookie consent mechanism present but no visible privacy policy or terms of service. Contact information includes a Maltese phone number and active social media channels. Overall, the site is credible and functional but could enhance privacy and security transparency.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
65/ 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 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';…

  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 thedispatch.mt

This scan found 25 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
42
Security headers
30
Email security
70
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
65
Average
64

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 focusing on Malta's international news landscape, leveraging curated content to serve a local and global audience. Its business model centers on digital news publishing with monetization through Google AdSense and engagement via social media and push notifications. The company maintains a small but consistent digital presence with a clear brand identity. The lack of explicit privacy and security policies suggests room for maturity in compliance and governance. The use of reputable hosting and CMS platforms supports operational stability. Growth potential lies in expanding content offerings and improving compliance to build trust and audience loyalty.

Security posture

The website employs HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate and domain transfer lock, indicating a baseline security standard. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, which could expose DNS spoofing risks. Security headers beyond the domain status are not explicitly detected, and no published security or incident response policies exist, limiting transparency for security incidents. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found in the analysis. The cookie consent mechanism aligns with GDPR requirements but the absence of a privacy policy reduces compliance confidence. Overall, the security posture is moderate with recommendations to enhance DNS security, implement additional HTTP security headers, and publish formal security policies.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to strengthen DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Publish a comprehensive privacy policy and terms of service to improve legal compliance and user trust.
  3. Implement additional HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, and X-Frame-Options.
  4. Create and publish a security policy and incident response contact information to enhance transparency and preparedness.
  5. Regularly audit third-party scripts and libraries to ensure no vulnerabilities or privacy risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Corporate Identities
Description
Malta's International News Source by Corporate ID Group, brings you curated news items from around the world with a global outlook and a local perspective.
Key services
Curated news articles, International and local news coverage
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, jQuery, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, OneSignal, Jetpack, Google Fonts, Material Icons
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Domain locked with clientTransferProhibited status

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
Google AdSense
Tracking pixels
OneSignal
Marketing tools
OpinionStage
Transparency
basic

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
good
Navigation
good
Professionalism
good
Trustworthiness
moderate

Key observations

  1. Website is a WordPress-based news media site focused on Malta and international news.
  2. Content is accessible and well-structured with good SEO metadata.
  3. No explicit privacy policy or terms of service found on the homepage or metadata.
  4. Cookie consent mechanism is present and functional.
  5. No explicit security or incident response policies published.
  6. Social media presence is established with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn links.
  7. Uses standard advertising and analytics tools from Google and OneSignal.
  8. No suspicious or malicious indicators detected.
  9. WHOIS data is transparent and consistent with business claims.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress, hosted by Automattic Inc., and uses a variety of modern web technologies including jQuery, Google Fonts, Google Analytics, Tag Manager, OneSignal for push notifications, and Jetpack. The site loads with moderate performance and is mobile optimized with responsive design. SEO metadata is well implemented with Open Graph and JSON-LD structured data for organization and article schema. Accessibility features are basic but present. The technical stack is standard for a professional news site, though opportunities exist to optimize performance further and enhance security headers. The site uses Google AdSense for monetization and OpinionStage for marketing engagement. Overall, the technical infrastructure is solid and supports the business model effectively.
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.mt. 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.mt.

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.