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Security report for write.as

Musing Studio · Technology · United States

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

51/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Write.as is a privacy-focused, minimal blogging platform operated by Musing Studio, founded in 2015 and based in the United States. The platform emphasizes distraction-free writing, privacy, and ease of publishing, offering features such as anonymous posting, multiple identities, and integration with federated social networks. Its business model is subscription-based with Pro and Team plans, targeting writers and privacy-conscious users. The website is professionally designed with excellent content quality and clear navigation, supporting a strong market position in niche blogging services. Technically, Write.as leverages modern web technologies including HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and open source software WriteFreely. The site is fast, mobile-optimized, and SEO-friendly. It uses self-hosted Matomo analytics to minimize user tracking and enhance privacy. However, some security headers are not explicitly detected, and there is no visible cookie consent mechanism despite analytics usage. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and avoids exposing sensitive data. There is no public security policy or incident response information, and no vulnerability disclosure policy is found. The WHOIS data is consistent with the business history and domain age, supporting legitimacy. Overall, the security posture is good but could be improved with additional headers and transparency. The overall risk is low, with no signs of malicious activity or suspicious domains. Strategic recommendations include implementing cookie consent, adding security headers, publishing a security policy, and establishing a vulnerability disclosure process to enhance trust and compliance.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of write.as. View the latest report

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. 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. 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';…

  3. 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

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching write.as

This scan found 22 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.

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Full report

€39.90one-time

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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
0
Security headers
25
Email security
70
DNS health
60
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
Average
51

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

Write.as operates in the technology sector, focusing on providing a simple, privacy-respecting blogging platform. Its competitive advantage lies in minimalism, privacy, and integration with the fediverse, appealing to users seeking alternatives to mainstream blogging platforms. Revenue is generated through subscription plans (Pro and Team), with free trials offered. The company ecosystem includes related services like Snap.as, Submit.as, and Remark.as, all under the parent company Musing Studio. The target customers are individual writers, bloggers, and small teams valuing privacy and simplicity. Growth indicators include active community links, open source software usage, and social media presence. Partnerships with open source projects and federated platforms strengthen market positioning.

Security posture

The security maturity of Write.as is moderate to high. HTTPS is enforced site-wide, and no sensitive data leaks or vulnerable libraries are evident. The use of self-hosted Matomo analytics reflects a privacy-conscious approach. However, the absence of explicit security headers (e.g., CSP, X-Frame-Options), lack of a public security policy, and no incident response or vulnerability disclosure information indicate areas for improvement. GDPR compliance is supported by a comprehensive privacy policy, but cookie consent is missing despite tracking. The security culture appears focused on privacy but could benefit from enhanced transparency and formalized security processes.

Recommendations

  1. Implement a visible cookie consent banner to comply with privacy regulations and inform users about tracking.
  2. Add standard security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security to improve security posture.
  3. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response plan to increase transparency and user trust.
  4. Establish and publicize a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting of security issues.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party libraries and dependencies to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Musing Studio
Description
Write.as is a minimal blogging platform focused on distraction-free writing and privacy. It allows users to write and publish content easily, with features like anonymous posting, multiple identities, and integration with federated platforms.
Key services
Minimal blogging platform, Anonymous writing, Custom domains, RSS feeds, ActivityPub integration, Email subscriptions, Photo hosting, Team collaboration
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, WebFont Loader, Markdown editor, ActivityPub
Platforms
WriteFreely (open source blogging platform)
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No visible exposed sensitive data
  • No vulnerable libraries detected
  • Secure forms with minimal data collection

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo (self-hosted Piwik)
Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Piwik/Matomo
Transparency
excellent

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 clear navigation.
  2. Strong focus on privacy and minimalism in blogging.
  3. No visible phone numbers or direct emails; contact via web form.
  4. No cookie consent banner despite tracking via Matomo.
  5. No explicit security policy or incident response information publicly available.
  6. Use of self-hosted analytics indicates privacy-conscious approach.
  7. Multiple related domains under the same brand umbrella.
  8. No advertising or third-party ad networks detected.
  9. Good mobile and SEO optimization.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern, lightweight tech stack with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, supported by the open source WriteFreely platform. It uses web fonts loaded asynchronously and self-hosted analytics to optimize performance and privacy. The site is mobile-optimized and SEO-friendly, with clear meta tags and Open Graph data. Hosting details are not explicit but the domain registrar is gdns.nic.as, consistent with the .as TLD. The site shows no signs of technical debt or outdated technologies. Opportunities exist to enhance security headers and implement cookie consent mechanisms to align with best practices and regulatory requirements.
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. 51/100 −12Medium31 findingsView report
  2. 63/100Medium26 findingsView report
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