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Security report for theverge.com

The Verge · Technology · N/a

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

Security score

80/100

Risk levelLow

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

The Verge is a prominent technology and science news website founded in 2011 and owned by Vox Media. It provides a wide range of content including breaking news, reviews, features, videos, podcasts, and newsletters targeting technology enthusiasts and the general public interested in tech. The site maintains a strong market position as a leading modern media company dedicated to high-quality journalism in the technology sector. Technically, The Verge employs a modern web stack including React and Next.js frameworks, integrates multiple advertising and analytics services such as Google Analytics, Amazon Publisher Services, and DoubleClick, and uses advanced content delivery and tracking technologies. The website is well-optimized for performance, mobile responsiveness, accessibility, and SEO, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS, uses reCAPTCHA for form protection, and implements cookie consent mechanisms indicating GDPR compliance. While explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not published, the site demonstrates good security hygiene with no obvious vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The absence of WHOIS data is noted but likely due to privacy protection or registry data unavailability rather than malicious intent. Overall, The Verge presents a low-risk profile with strong business credibility, excellent content quality, and a robust technical and security posture. Strategic recommendations include publishing explicit security and incident response policies, enhancing transparency on data retention, and establishing a vulnerability disclosure program to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Scanned

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 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 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 theverge.com

This scan found 14 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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  • 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
50
Email security
100
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
73
Average
80

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 Verge operates in the technology media sector with a business model based on advertising, subscriptions, sponsored content, and affiliate marketing. It targets tech-savvy consumers and general audiences interested in technology news and reviews. The company benefits from its ownership by Vox Media, a major media conglomerate, which provides resources and brand recognition. The site’s extensive content offerings, including podcasts and videos, diversify its revenue streams and audience engagement. The Verge’s competitive advantage lies in its award-winning journalism, comprehensive coverage, and strong digital presence. Partnerships with major social media platforms and advertising networks enhance its market reach and monetization capabilities.

Security posture

The Verge demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, use of reCAPTCHA, and cookie consent mechanisms supporting GDPR compliance. Security headers are likely implemented, and no exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. However, the site lacks publicly available detailed security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure information, which are important for transparency and trust. The WHOIS data anomaly is a minor concern but does not significantly impact the overall security assessment. The site would benefit from publishing explicit security and incident response documentation and establishing a formal vulnerability disclosure process.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a detailed security policy and incident response contact information on the website.
  2. Implement and publicize a vulnerability disclosure program to encourage responsible reporting.
  3. Enhance transparency regarding data retention and privacy practices to strengthen GDPR compliance.
  4. Provide clear contact information for a Data Protection Officer or privacy team.
  5. Regularly audit third-party scripts and advertising technologies to minimize tracking and security risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
The Verge
Description
The Verge is a technology and science news website founded in 2011. It offers its readers breaking tech news, tech reviews, award-winning features and investigations through articles, videos, podcasts, and newsletters.
Key services
Tech news, Tech reviews, Award-winning features, Investigations, Video content, Podcasts, Newsletters
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Next.js, Google reCAPTCHA, Amazon Publisher Services, Google Analytics, DoubleClick, Concert Ads, Zephr, Bullwhip, PubCID, BounceExchange
Frameworks
Next.js, React
Platforms
Web
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of reCAPTCHA for forms
  • Cookie consent mechanism
  • No exposed sensitive data detected

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, ScorecardResearch, DoubleVerify, Permutive
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google AdSense, Amazon Publisher Services, Rubicon Project, DoubleClick, Concert Ads, BounceExchange
Tracking pixels
ScorecardResearch, DoubleVerify, Permutive
Marketing tools
Zephr, Bullwhip, PubCID
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 rich content and modern design.
  2. Strong presence of advertising and tracking technologies.
  3. Comprehensive structured data and metadata for SEO and social sharing.
  4. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on the homepage.
  5. No explicit security or incident response contact information published.
  6. WHOIS data is missing or unavailable, which is unusual for a major media site.
  7. Privacy and cookie policies are present and indicate GDPR compliance.
  8. Content is safe and suitable for general audiences.
Technical notes

Notes

The Verge uses a modern and robust technical infrastructure based on React and Next.js, enabling server-side rendering and fast performance. The site integrates multiple advertising and analytics platforms, including Google Analytics, Amazon Publisher Services, and DoubleClick, which support monetization but increase tracking complexity. The website is well-optimized for mobile devices and accessibility, with comprehensive SEO metadata and structured data (JSON-LD) for enhanced search engine visibility. The use of reCAPTCHA and cookie consent mechanisms indicates attention to security and privacy. Hosting details are not explicit but likely leverage a scalable cloud infrastructure. Opportunities exist to improve transparency and reduce technical debt by consolidating third-party scripts and enhancing security documentation.
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 −1Low18 findingsView report
  2. 82/100Low19 findingsView report
  3. 82/100Low18 findingsView report
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