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Security report for thewirecutter.com

Wirecutter · Media · United States

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

Security score

84/100

Risk levelLow

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

Wirecutter is a prominent product review and buying advice website owned by The New York Times. It offers comprehensive reviews on technology, appliances, and gear, targeting consumers seeking trusted recommendations. The site leverages a modern technical infrastructure including React and Next.js frameworks, supported by a robust CDN and analytics tools such as Chartbeat and Google Analytics. Privacy compliance is well managed with a detailed cookie consent mechanism powered by Fides, reflecting adherence to GDPR and related regulations. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforcement and security headers, though explicit security policies and incident response details are not publicly disclosed. Overall, Wirecutter presents a professional, trustworthy, and user-friendly platform with extensive advertising and tracking transparency.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of thewirecutter.com. View the latest report

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

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Keep watching thewirecutter.com

This scan found 14 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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  • 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
70
Email security
85
DNS health
90
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
85
Average
84

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

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention thewirecutter.com, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
220
Employees
0
Customers
166
Third parties
54
Weak passwords
20%

6 subdomains affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for thewirecutter.com.

Select it in the checkout above.

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

Wirecutter operates in the media sector with a focus on consumer product reviews and affiliate marketing. Its market position is strong as a leading review site under the reputable New York Times brand. The business model relies on content publishing combined with advertising and affiliate revenue streams. The target audience includes tech-savvy consumers and general shoppers seeking reliable product information. The company benefits from a large-scale operation with a consistent brand presence and extensive vendor partnerships for advertising. Growth is supported by integration with NYT's broader digital ecosystem and strong SEO performance.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and a privacy-first approach to user data management. The use of Fides for consent management indicates a proactive stance on privacy compliance. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analysis. However, the absence of publicly available security policies or vulnerability disclosure programs suggests room for improvement in transparency and incident readiness. The domain WHOIS data is unavailable, likely due to privacy protection, which is justified given the business type but reduces some transparency.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response plan accessible to users.
  2. Implement and publicize a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file.
  3. Enhance transparency by providing contact details for the Data Protection Officer or privacy team.
  4. Regularly audit third-party vendor compliance and update privacy disclosures accordingly.
  5. Maintain and monitor security headers and SSL configurations to uphold high security standards.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Wirecutter
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Wirecutter
Description
Wirecutter tests and reviews the best tech, appliances, gear, and more. You can trust our veteran journalists, scientists, and experts to find the best stuff.
Key services
Product reviews, Buying guides, Deals
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Next.js, Google Tag Manager, Chartbeat, IterateHQ, Fides (privacy management)
Frameworks
Next.js
Platforms
Web
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Content Security Policy implemented
  • Privacy consent management via Fides

Analytics and tracking

Services
Chartbeat, Google Analytics
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
6sense, ABCS INSIGHTS, ADventori, Aarki, AcuityAds, AdElement Media Solutions, AdGear, AdKernel, AdSpirit AdServer, AdTiming
Tracking pixels
Chartbeat, Outbrain, Facebook Connect
Marketing tools
IterateHQ
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 no blocking detected
  2. Strong privacy and cookie consent management implemented via Fides
  3. Comprehensive vendor disclosures for advertising and tracking
  4. High quality, professional media content with clear branding
  5. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found in HTML; contact likely via forms or corporate channels
  6. WHOIS data unavailable, but domain is clearly associated with The New York Times
  7. Use of modern web technologies and CDN for performance and security
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern and scalable technology stack including React and Next.js, ensuring fast performance and excellent mobile optimization. Hosting via Fastly CDN contributes to low latency and high availability. The site integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools, balancing data collection with user privacy controls. The technical implementation includes SEO best practices and accessibility features, supporting a broad user base. Opportunities exist to further document technical security measures and improve transparency around data protection roles.
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. 84/100Low19 findingsView report
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