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Infrastructure

· 9 checks — DNS, redirects, IPv6, crawlability, URL variants, and domain intelligence rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
87
GRADE
B
FIX
1
REVIEW
3
PASS
5
INFO
0
Probed from Madrid, Spain
301 Moved Permanently
Checks
9
5 PASS 3 REVIEW 1 FIX
D
CDN & Delivery
Action
No CDN detected
FIX
No CDN detected
Warning::
No CDN detected
A CDN can significantly improve load times for users around the world by caching content at edge nodes closer to them.
No CDN detected

Consider using a CDN to improve global delivery speed and reduce origin load.

C
IPv6 Readiness
Action
No IPv6 support
REVIEW
No IPv6 support
Info::
No IPv6 (AAAA) records found
IPv6 support is increasingly important for global accessibility. About 40% of internet users have IPv6 connectivity.
No IPv6 Support
About 40% of internet users have IPv6. Consider adding AAAA records.

IPv6 support is increasingly important for global accessibility. About 40% of internet users have IPv6 connectivity.

Why this matters

No AAAA records — same impact as 'no IPv6 (AAAA) records'; IPv6-preferring clients pay extra latency falling back to IPv4.

Source: Google IPv6 stats

B
URL Variants
www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS
REVIEW
www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS
Critical::
Both www and non-www versions serve content
Got: Both variants return 200 Expected: One variant 301-redirects to the other
Info::
HTTP correctly 301-redirects to HTTPS

www / non-www

200https://www.cnet.com/
200https://cnet.com/

Inconsistent — duplicate content risk

HTTP → HTTPS

301http://cnet.com/ https://cnet.com/

Consistent

B
TLS Certificate Expiry & Recommendations
83 days until leaf cert expires — 3 issues to address
REVIEW

Certificate validity

83
days left
0d 30d 60d 90d+

Recommended actions

  • Submit your domain to hstspreload.org to be added to the Chrome preload list
  • Enable DNSSEC on your domain for DNS spoofing protection
  • Enable OCSP stapling on your TLS server to remove a CA roundtrip and protect user privacy
A+
DNS Records
2 A records, 50 ms lookup
PASS
2 A records, 50 ms lookup
Info::
Resolves to 2 IPv4 address(es)
Got: 199.232.198.154, 199.232.194.154
Info::
No IPv6 (AAAA) records
Info::
4 nameserver(s) configured
Got: ns-cloud-a4.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a1.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a3.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a2.googledomains.com
Info::
1 mail exchanger(s) configured
Info::
CAA records not checked
CAA record lookup requires a specialized DNS resolver. This check will be available in a future update.
Info::
SPF record present in TXT
Info::
DNS resolution time: 50 ms
Got: 50 ms
A199.232.198.154, 199.232.194.154
AAAA
CNAME
NSns-cloud-a4.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a1.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a3.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a2.googledomains.com
MX
1 smtp.google.com
TXT
amazonses:LO9ev8HSA2e5Oreaw/q5HePX1NaSz4IilMqaDhp0OVo=
atlassian-domain-verification=QUsZX4LdPWTYZgx09JhShFot27EJnUl/5CyxXFsiGebXl2QD8F...
canva-site-verification=G7ihdyEI2rolcwaQUBtcCw
adobe-idp-site-verification=cd8dab640ab786a9457c8757f4188cd682dd687a694d1d9c251e...
ir-site-verification-token value=900181015
_globalsign-domain-verification=P6EsEBcaHaQ2gnEgaZ6eVvT6wNieiCAIfZEOugGLHt
e4e5e1b458c446cca3fda29ced9be07c
google-site-verification=qEXI3w15YN6-EUSOeDkItVYWRt-xBoorxXNGU_e_mBM
knowbe4-site-verification=f250b2a70f1bef3a0d3e9e990a25ada0
google-site-verification=cPMQ_WlZoW1tAiJpzqYi8aWgUhiKKBnK0e1NBsxS53g
google-site-verification=VgSsD6qI_wL720aiHTg8kTDmcSIbfmXlCKqYdQik9Y0
figma-domain-verification=4f7cdfa45ca39f617dd7ba7b165e1bfd5e9b5e1ec18b849c6098df...
globalsign-domain-verification=KaParXxs1OHDy7o8CMbPpHBN-2m_mzwdPqKMMQ66a6
workplace-domain-verification=Ftb5M3IwsYSC4dwyCbPT46iNSsKC4C
tollbit-domain-verification=413155f23a62cea67df5ad8b3a696a1c826d39b26a1c53b87db7...
airtable-verification=20fe2e72dc8c36bf92a0df5fefb4a336
google-site-verification=ILosiwVrH1_eWREJaPJtuogfJYCLxJv39jAEWxGtYxc
webgains-site-verification=6vbztyvm
google-site-verification=efvdqAz-LxQHowGUSZ-r5uahun7JFtmGaJhnQg5iAEo
MS=ms94282196
work-accounts-domain-verification=MaQLu2YGEGv45S1oqGvbV2bb94DiIP
amazonses:IkTmduYpaH0WwFy3rGF9LapU5r9lAMSfIbFXVAGJjds=
google-site-verification=qDwXOZ4eWvl1KaOHkusN1nG-c9QOCY9SIegFUl8Ze-0
google-site-verification=LLUmqJWN33O46X5wiK8hCkKfkH8NZwupS_tjUTKhuNU
google-site-verification=rQqGHsJIjA9wmYW8k4YAiLcWdcJd77pGC8EIWhrP0qs
onetrust-domain-verification=d3bfb3a9f8e7463aa20605e2b58b4041
_globalsign-domain-verification=6CefEhdXpSEvPRuTfkeYdvQ_0ij6wKrIcTTNPwKRvH
SPF v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:_spf.salesforce.com include:spf.protectio...
_globalsign-domain-verification=x1xf11ih41J9GiXJP5TJq4IVRSE9HWVASq1KdJeTrL
canva-site-verification=d0dFqCCuxz7OU_dNK6a7sg
CAALookup not available with standard resolver
Resolved in 50 ms

CAA record lookup requires a specialized DNS resolver. This check will be available in a future update.

Why this matters

Informational: CAA (Certification Authority Authorization) records weren't checked in this scan.

A
Redirect Chain
1 redirect(s), 139 ms total
PASS
1 redirect(s), 139 ms total
Info::
Single redirect
Got: https://cnet.com → https://www.cnet.com/ (301)
Info::
WWW normalization redirect

https://cnet.com

6 ms · HTTP/1.1

301

https://www.cnet.com/

133 ms · HTTP/1.1 FINAL

#URLStatusTimeProtocolServer
1https://cnet.com3016 msHTTP/1.1
2https://www.cnet.com/200133 msHTTP/1.1

See the visual redirect chain in the HTTP Probe tab →

A+
Crawlability
robots.txt present, sitemap with 370 URLs
PASS
robots.txt present, sitemap with 370 URLs
Info::
robots.txt is present
Got: 9303 bytes
Info::
sitemap.xml is present
Info::
sitemap.xml is valid XML
Info::
sitemap.xml contains 370 entries
Info::
Sitemap index with 370 child sitemaps
Info::
robots.txt references sitemap
robots.txt 200 OK
Size 9303 B Sitemaps referenced 9 User-agents ZanistaBot, ChatGLM-Spider, Applebot, AutoRAG, Bytespider, GPTBot, Kunato, LinkupBot, mistral.ai, AwarioRssBot, Claude-Web, atlassian-bot, AwarioSmartBot, Claude-User, Factset_spyderbot, "008", Omgilibot, Scrapy, Amazonbot, Claude-SearchBot, Datenbank Crawler, Direqt Anomura, DuckAssistBot, LinerBot, meta-externalfetcher, PetalBot, anthropic-ai, FacebookBot, LINER Bot, meta-webindexer, DDM-DCipher/1.0.7, Magpie-crawler, Nutch, cohere-ai, ImageSiftBot, omgili, QualifiedBot, SemrushBotSwa, Velen Crawler, HTTrack, Peer39_crawler/1.0, Ai2Bot-Dolma, iaskspider, Kangaroo Bot, laion-huggingface-processor, ShapBot, Ai2Bot-DeepResearchEval, Anchor Browser, Big Sur AI, Echobot Bot, SeekrBot, TwinAgent, VelenPublicWebCrawler, *, Channel3Bot, Crawl4AI, SemrushBot-OCOB, Offline Explorer, Brandwatch, Cotoyogi, LCC, OAI-SearchBot, Webzio-Extended, Bravebot, ChatGPT-User, Diffbot, AddSearchBot, ICC Crawler, Manus-User, PerplexityBot, YouBot, Devin, imageSpider, NovaAct, Novellum AI Crawl, Poggio-Citations, SBIntuitionsBot, Applebot-extended, ClaudeBot, DeepSeekBot, iAsk, KlaviyoAIBot, PanguBot, Spider, Timpibot, AmazonBuyForMe, bigsur.ai, CCBot, cohere-training-data-crawler, ICC-Crawler, meta-externalagent, netEstate Imprint Crawler, TavilyBot, AI2Bot, MistralAI-User, PeopleInc-DCipher-Scraper/1.1.0, Perplexity-User, Wrtn Blocking No — crawling allowed
# www.robotstxt.org/
# www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156449
#

# Ziff Davis content is made available for your non-commercial use subject to our
# Terms of Use here: https://www.ziffdavis.com/terms-of-use
# Use of any robot, crawler, or other tool to scrape, harvest, extract, or retrieve any content on
# this website using automated means is prohibited without written permission from Ziff Davis.
# Prohibited uses include but are not limited to:
# (1) text and data mining under Art. 4 of the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single
# Market;
# (2) development or operation of artificial intelligence or machine learning software or
# databases, including by training, fine-tuning, embedding, and retrieval-augmented generation;
# (3) creating data sets containing our content or sharing it with others; and
# (4) any commercial purposes.
# Contact licensing@ziffdavis.com for assistance.

User-agent: *

Disallow: */*max-price=*
Disallow: */*min-price=*
Disallow: */Xhr*
Disallow: */account-information/*
Disallow: */ad/ad-cookie/*
Disallow: */ajax/
Disallow: */alert/*
Disallow: */cnet_global_app_redirect.xml
Disallow: */component/*
Disallow: */edit/
Disallow: */edit/change-email/*
Disallow: */edit/change-password/*
Disallow: */email/editor/*
Disallow: */email/member/*
Disallow: */email/newsletter/*
Disallow: */error/*
Disallow: */ext/make/ingest/*
Disallow: */feature/*
Disallow: */finder/*/*/?*filter=*_*_*_*_*
Disallow: */finder/*/?*filter=*_*_*_*_*
Disallow: */forums/*
Disallow: */g00/*
Disallow: */informacion-de-mi-cuenta/*
Disallow: */members/*
Disallow: */products/*?*filter=*
Disallow: */roadshow/finder/*
Disallow: */search/*
Disallow: */user/*
Disallow: */videos/manifest/*
Disallow: */videos/secure/*
Disallow: */videos/selector/*
Disallow: */wrap-function*
Disallow: */wrap-xhr*
Disallow: */xhr*
Disallow: *?sort=popularity*
Disallow: *?sort=price*
Disallow: *?sort=user-rating*
Disallow: *hub-preview-version=*
Disallow: /.well-known/*
Disallow: /api/editionurlgenerator/
Disallow: /apple-news/*
Disallow: /au/*
Disallow: /es/*
Disallow: /html/story/*
Disallow: /index.php/*
Disallow: /products/*
Disallow: /uk/*

# Ziff Davis bot list
user-agent: AddSearchBot
user-agent: AI2Bot
user-agent: Ai2Bot-DeepResearchEval
user-agent: Ai2Bot-Dolma
user-agent: Amazonbot
user-agent: AmazonBuyForMe
user-agent: Anchor Browser
user-agent: anthropic-ai
user-agent: Applebot
user-agent: Applebot-extended
user-agent: atlassian-bot
user-agent: AutoRAG
user-agent: AwarioSmartBot
user-agent: Big Sur AI
user-agent: bigsur.ai
user-agent: Brandwatch
user-agent: Bravebot
user-agent: Bytespider
user-agent: CCBot
user-agent: Channel3Bot
user-agent: ChatGLM-Spider
user-agent: ChatGPT-User
user-agent: Claude-SearchBot
user-agent: Claude-User
user-agent: Claude-Web
user-agent: ClaudeBot
user-agent: cohere-ai
user-agent: cohere-training-data-crawler
user-agent: Cotoyogi
user-agent: Crawl4AI
user-agent: Datenbank Crawler
user-agent: DeepSeekBot
user-agent: Devin
user-agent: Diffbot
user-agent: Direqt Anomura
user-agent: DuckAssistBot
user-agent: Echobot Bot
user-agent: FacebookBot
user-agent: Factset_spyderbot
user-agent: GPTBot
user-agent: iAsk
user-agent: iaskspider
user-agent: ICC Crawler
user-agent: ICC-Crawler
user-agent: ImageSiftBot
user-agent: imageSpider
user-agent: Kangaroo Bot
user-agent: KlaviyoAIBot
user-agent: Kunato
user-agent: laion-huggingface-processor
user-agent: LCC
user-agent: LINER Bot
user-agent: LinerBot
user-agent: LinkupBot
user-agent: Manus-User
user-agent: meta-externalagent
user-agent: meta-externalfetcher
user-agent: meta-webindexer
user-agent: mistral.ai
user-agent: MistralAI-User
user-agent: netEstate Imprint Crawler
user-agent: NovaAct
user-agent: Novellum AI Crawl
user-agent: OAI-SearchBot
user-agent: omgili
user-agent: PanguBot
user-agent: PeopleInc-DCipher-Scraper/1.1.0
user-agent: Perplexity-User
user-agent: PerplexityBot
user-agent: PetalBot
user-agent: Poggio-Citations
user-agent: QualifiedBot
user-agent: SBIntuitionsBot
user-agent: SeekrBot
user-agent: SemrushBot-OCOB
user-agent: SemrushBotSwa
user-agent: ShapBot
user-agent: Spider
user-agent: TavilyBot
user-agent: Timpibot
user-agent: TwinAgent
user-agent: Velen Crawler
user-agent: VelenPublicWebCrawler
user-agent: Webzio-Extended
user-agent: Wrtn
user-agent: YouBot
user-agent: ZanistaBot
Allow: /home/internet/xfinity-vs-att-which-internet-provider-is-best/
Allow: /home/internet/xfinity-vs-verizon-which-internet-provider-is-best/
Allow: /news/ai-automation-changing-how-we-file-taxes/
Allow: /paid-content/news/enjoy-unlimited-wi-fi-and-predictable-pricing-with-on-your-home-internet/
Allow: /paid-content/news/from-tacos-to-tvs-doordash-delivers-your-game-day-essentials/
Allow: /paid-content/news/get-an-unlimited-5g-phone-plan-for-25-per-month-with-metro-by-t-mobile/
Allow: /paid-content/news/h-r-blocks-local-tax-pros-help-you-navigate-complex-returns/
Allow: /paid-content/news/how-galaxy-ai-camera-tools-help-you-take-better-photos-automatically-on-the-s25/
Allow: /paid-content/news/how-h-r-block-helps-you-maximize-freelance-and-gig-worker-write-offs/
Allow: /paid-content/news/how-h-r-block-simplifies-taxes-for-first-time-filers/
Allow: /paid-content/news/how-h-r-blocks-experts-can-help-you-avoid-common-filing-mistakes/
Allow: /paid-content/news/how-samsungs-galaxy-ai-boosts-gaming-performance/
Allow: /paid-content/news/how-sling-is-disrupting-the-old-live-tv-streaming-model/
Allow: /paid-content/news/how-t-mobile-can-help-you-save-thousands-on-your-family-wireless-plan/
Allow: /paid-content/news/how-to-watch-live-sports-and-avoid-wheres-the-game-chaos-with-xfinity/
Allow: /paid-content/news/i-tried-internxt-an-encrypted-secure-cloud-storage-built-for-the-post-quantum-era/
Allow: /paid-content/news/is-diy-tax-filing-right-for-you-heres-what-h-r-blocks-tools-make-possible/
Allow: /paid-content/news/is-wi-fi-7-worth-the-upgrade-heres-how-msis-roamii-mesh-systems-fit-in/
Allow: /paid-content/news/life-changes-and-new-laws-can-affect-your-tax-refund-how-to-estimate/
Allow: /paid-content/news/maximize-your-refund-with-h-r-blocks-smart-tax-tools/
Allow: /paid-content/news/must-know-tax-season-tips-for-small-businesses-and-solopreneurs/
Allow: /paid-content/news/selling-stuff-online-what-you-could-be-on-the-hook-for-tax-wise/
Allow: /paid-content/news/t-mobile-5g-home-internet-offers-a-solution-to-contracts-cords-and-hidden-fees/
Allow: /paid-content/news/tempos-fresh-chef-crafted-meals-make-your-meal-prep-smarter-and-tastier/
Allow: /paid-content/news/what-americans-pay-for-internet-in-2026-and-how-xfinity-helps-you-save/
Allow: /paid-content/news/why-a-reliable-fiber-powered-network-from-xfinity-is-the-ultimate-solution-for-home-wi-fi/
Allow: /paid-content/news/why-tax-filers-are-choosing-h-r-block-this-season/
Allow: /tech/mobile/samsung-galaxy-s26-and-s26-plus-hands-on-first-take/
Allow: /tech/mobile/samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra-vs-galaxy-s26-and-s26-plus-flagship-specs-comparison/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/a-guide-to-data-removal-services-should-you-pay-for-privacy/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/complex-income-tax-filing-rules-2026/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/crypto-new-tax-form-rules/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/data-brokers-how-your-personal-data-becomes-business/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/end-year-tax-checklist-maximize-tax-refund/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/end-year-tax-checklist-maximize-tax-refund/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/free-tax-software-cost-upgrades/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/how-h-r-block-helps-freelancers-and-gig-workers-stay-ahead-of-tax-season/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/how-to-prevent-irs-penalties-and-delays-this-tax-season/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/married-single-or-self-employed-how-your-filing-status-changes-everything/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/qualified-tips-overtime-tax-deduction-rules/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/self-employment-tax-guide-1099-contractor/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/w2-vs-1099-difference/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/what-is-vibe-coding-how-anyone-can-make-apps-with-the-help-of-ai/
Allow: /tech/services-and-software/why-would-a-business-need-to-use-a-proxy-server/
Allow: /videos/2026-tax-season-checklist-what-you-need-before-you-file/
Allow: /videos/5-finance-and-tax-tips-for-freelancers/
Allow: /videos/navigating-your-tax-filing-options-simple-vs-complex-situations/
Allow: /videos/tax-breaks-you-might-miss-in-2026-and-how-to-find-them/
Disallow: /

#CNET restricted bots
User-agent: "008"
User-agent: AwarioRssBot
User-agent: DDM-DCipher/1.0.7
User-agent: HTTrack
User-agent: Magpie-crawler
User-agent: Nutch
User-agent: Offline Explorer
User-agent: Omgilibot
User-agent: Peer39_crawler/1.0
User-agent: Scrapy
Disallow: /

Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/article/index.xml
Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/best.xml
Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/gallery/index.xml
Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/how-to/index.xml
Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/news.xml
Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/review/index.xml
Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/static.xml
Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/updating_story/index.xml
Sitemap: https://www.cnet.com/sitemaps/video/index.xml

sitemap.xml 200 OK
Type Sitemap Index URLs 370 entries Valid XML Yes
Child Sitemaps:
A+
Domain Intelligence
cnet.com — via CSC Corporate Domains, Inc., 32 years, 6 months old, hosted on Fastly
PASS
cnet.com — via CSC Corporate Domains, Inc., 32 years, 6 months old, hosted on Fastly
Info::
Domain registered until Mar 6, 2029 (2 years, 11 months remaining)
Info::
DNSSEC is not enabled
DNSSEC protects against DNS spoofing attacks. While not required, enabling DNSSEC adds an additional layer of security. Contact your DNS provider to enable it.
Info::
Registrar: CSC Corporate Domains, Inc.
Warning::
Registrar lock is NOT enabled
The domain can be transferred without an unlock step. Enable registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) in your registrar's control panel to protect against unauthorized or accidental transfers.
Info::
Hosting: Fastly
Got: AS54113
Domain expiry

967 days

March 6, 2029

SSL certificate

83 days

Issued by Let's Encrypt

Domain age

32 years, 6 months

Registered March 5, 1994

DNSSEC

Not enabled

Protects against DNS spoofing

Hosting

Fastly

ASN AS54113

199.232.198.154

Registrar

CSC Corporate Domains, Inc.

Unlocked 4 NS records
Expiry timeline
Today
+1 year
Domain expiry SSL expiry Danger zone (≤30 days)
Recommended actions
  • Enable DNSSEC to protect visitors from DNS spoofing
  • Enable registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) to block unauthorized domain transfers
Registrar CSC Corporate Domains, Inc.
Created March 5, 1994 (32 years, 6 months ago)
Expires March 6, 2029 (2 years, 11 months)
Last Updated August 21, 2025
Name Servers ns-cloud-a1.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a2.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a3.googledomains.com, ns-cloud-a4.googledomains.com
DNSSEC Not enabled
Hosting
IP Address 199.232.198.154
ASN AS54113 (FASTLY - Fastly, Inc., US)
Provider Fastly
Data source: rdap (0.3s)

DNSSEC protects against DNS spoofing attacks. While not required, enabling DNSSEC adds an additional layer of security. Contact your DNS provider to enable it.

Why this matters

Without DNSSEC, an attacker who can poison your DNS can hijack your domain — and SSL certs alone don't stop them.

Learn more

DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to DNS records, preventing forged responses from poisoning resolver caches. Without it, an attacker who controls the network path can redirect your domain to a malicious server before any HTTPS handshake happens. Most modern registrars (Cloudflare, Google Domains, Route 53) enable it with one toggle.

Source: ICANN / RFC 4033

The domain can be transferred without an unlock step. Enable registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) in your registrar's control panel to protect against unauthorized or accidental transfers.

Why this matters

Without registrar lock, an attacker who phishes your registrar credentials can transfer the domain in minutes — total brand hijack.

Learn more

Registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited, clientDeleteProhibited) requires extra verification before any transfer/update/delete. Every major registrar offers it free. Combined with 2FA on your registrar account, it's the strongest defense against domain hijacking.

Source: ICANN / domain-security best practice

A+
HTTP Probe Timing
Total 26 ms — DNS, TCP, TLS, TTFB, content transfer breakdown
PASS
DNS Lookup DNS Lookup — time to resolve the domain name to an IP address.
21 ms
TCP Connect TCP Connect — time to establish a TCP connection to the server.
0 ms
TLS Handshake TLS Handshake — time to complete the HTTPS encryption handshake.
4 ms
Time to First Byte Time to First Byte — how long the server takes to respond with the first byte of data.
26 ms
Total Time Total request time from DNS lookup through full response.
26 ms

Connection waterfall

DNS Lookup 21 ms TCP Connect 0 ms TLS Handshake 4 ms Server Processing 1 ms Content Transfer 0 ms
All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.

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