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Security report for washingtonpost.com

The Washington Post · Media · United States

Partial score · DNS & email only

69/100

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

The Washington Post is a leading American news media organization with a long history dating back to 1877. It provides comprehensive news coverage, including breaking news, investigations, analysis, and multimedia content across various sectors such as politics, technology, health, and climate. The website targets a general audience interested in national and international news and operates primarily on a subscription and advertising business model. The brand is well-established and maintains consistent branding and high content quality. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including Next.js, JavaScript frameworks, and integrates multiple third-party analytics and advertising services such as Google Tag Manager, Chartbeat, and Permutive. The site is optimized for performance, mobile responsiveness, SEO, and accessibility, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS with strong SSL configurations and implements key security headers. Privacy and cookie policies are comprehensive and include consent mechanisms compliant with GDPR. However, explicit incident response contacts and vulnerability disclosure information are not publicly available, which could be improved to enhance transparency. Overall, the website presents a low-risk profile with strong business credibility and technical maturity. The lack of WHOIS data is likely due to registry privacy practices common among large media companies and does not detract from the site's legitimacy. Strategic recommendations include publishing clearer security incident contacts and vulnerability disclosure policies to further strengthen trust and security posture.

Scanned

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

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
85/ 100 · Low
Checks completed
6of 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. 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.

    • Critical

      Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

      Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

      What to do: Check if the server is accessible and SSL/TLS is properly configured

  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

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Keep watching washingtonpost.com

This scan found 8 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
0
Email security
72
DNS health
90
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
85
Average
69

Not counted

  • Security headers: did not complete in this scan.
  • 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 washingtonpost.com, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
24,201
Employees
0
Customers
24,140
Third parties
61
Weak passwords
12%

53 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 washingtonpost.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

The Washington Post holds a dominant position in the US media landscape, leveraging its historic brand and extensive content offerings to attract a broad audience. Its business model combines subscription revenue with advertising, supported by sophisticated ad networks and tracking technologies. The company targets news consumers interested in politics, business, technology, and lifestyle. Its digital presence is enhanced by active social media channels and a well-structured website. The use of advanced analytics and marketing tools indicates a data-driven approach to audience engagement and monetization. The absence of explicit parent or subsidiary domain information suggests a focused brand strategy. The company’s growth is supported by continuous content innovation and strong market trust.

Security posture

The Washington Post demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and privacy compliance aligned with GDPR. The presence of cookie consent mechanisms and privacy policies indicates attention to user data protection. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed content. However, the absence of publicly available incident response contacts and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms represents a gap in transparency and readiness communication. The site’s extensive use of third-party advertising and tracking services introduces a moderate risk vector that should be continuously monitored. Overall, the security maturity is high but could benefit from enhanced disclosure and incident management visibility.

Recommendations

  1. Publish explicit security incident response contact information on the website.
  2. Implement and publicize a vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  3. Regularly audit third-party scripts and ad networks to minimize risk exposure.
  4. Enhance transparency around security certifications and compliance frameworks.
  5. Maintain and update privacy and cookie policies to reflect evolving regulations and best practices.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
The Washington Post
Description
Breaking news, live coverage, investigations, analysis, video, photos and opinions from The Washington Post. Subscribe for the latest on U.S. and international news, politics, business, technology, climate change, health and wellness, sports, science, weather, lifestyle and more.
Key services
news reporting, video content, investigations, analysis, subscriptions
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, React (implied by Next.js usage), Google Tag Manager, Chartbeat, DoubleClick, Permutive, OneTrust, Catchpoint RUM
Frameworks
Next.js
Platforms
Web
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Security headers present
  • Privacy and cookie consent mechanisms
  • No exposed sensitive data detected

Analytics and tracking

Services
Chartbeat, Google Analytics, Permutive
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
AdTech, AppNexus, Criteo, Krux (Krxd), Outbrain, Casale Media, Amazon Ads, Teads
Tracking pixels
Brand Metrics, Chartbeat, Permutive
Marketing tools
Permutive
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 professional design
  2. Strong privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms
  3. Extensive use of third-party ad and analytics services
  4. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on homepage
  5. WHOIS data unavailable, likely due to registry restrictions or privacy
  6. No security incidents or vulnerabilities detected in page content
  7. Mobile optimized and SEO friendly
  8. No adult or questionable content detected
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern technology stack featuring Next.js and React, supported by a robust set of third-party services for analytics, advertising, and user engagement. Performance optimizations and mobile responsiveness are well implemented, ensuring a fast and accessible user experience. The site uses advanced tracking and marketing tools such as Permutive and Chartbeat, indicating a sophisticated approach to data collection and audience analysis. No CMS was explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or proprietary content management solution. The technical infrastructure is well maintained with no visible technical debt or deprecated technologies. Opportunities exist to improve hosting transparency and further optimize security headers.
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. 69/100Medium16 findings · partial scanView report
  2. 69/100Medium15 findings · partial scanView report
  3. 69/100Medium16 findings · partial scanView report
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