# BeaverCheck Audit Report — https://www.theverge.com **Date:** April 7, 2026 **URL:** https://www.theverge.com **Overall Grade:** C (75/100) **Report:** https://beavercheck.com/results/3f773972-7428-8d4b-13a3-09f1812177c1 ## Top Findings 1. **[CRITICAL]** Cookie '_vm_consent_type' is missing the Secure flag — Security > Cookie Security 2. **[CRITICAL]** Page weighs 13.5 MB (5.2 MB transferred) — Performance > Page Weight Budget 3. **[CRITICAL]** 1 control(s) without accessible label — Accessibility > Form Accessibility 4. **[CRITICAL]** 10 button(s) with no accessible text — Accessibility > Link & Button Quality 5. **[CRITICAL]** No H1 heading found — Accessibility > Heading Hierarchy --- ## Lighthouse Scores | Category | Score | |----------|-------| | Performance | 26 | | Accessibility | 87 | | Best Practices | 77 | | SEO | 100 | --- ## Security ### Security Headers (F — 35/100) *2 of 10 headers properly configured* - **[WARNING]** HSTS is missing includeSubDomains — Without includeSubDomains, subdomains can still be accessed over HTTP. - **[WARNING]** X-Content-Type-Options header is missing — This header prevents MIME-type sniffing, which can lead to XSS attacks. Set it to 'nosniff'. - **[WARNING]** X-Frame-Options header is missing — This header prevents clickjacking by controlling who can embed your page in a frame. Set it to DENY or SAMEORIGIN. - **[WARNING]** Referrer-Policy header is missing — Controls how much referrer information is sent with requests. Set to 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin' or stricter. - **[WARNING]** Permissions-Policy header is missing — Controls which browser features (camera, microphone, geolocation) are allowed. Set it to restrict unused features. - **[PASS]** Content-Security-Policy is present - **[WARNING]** Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy header is missing — COOP isolates your browsing context, preventing cross-origin side-channel attacks. Set to 'same-origin'. - **[WARNING]** Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy header is missing — COEP prevents loading cross-origin resources without explicit permission. Required for SharedArrayBuffer and high-resolution timers. - **[WARNING]** X-Powered-By header reveals technology stack — This header discloses server technology (e.g. Express, PHP), helping attackers target known vulnerabilities. Remove it. - **[PASS]** Server header is not present ### Content Security Policy (B — 70/100) *2 of 10 CSP checks passed* - **[INFO]** Raw CSP policy - **[WARNING]** default-src directive is missing — default-src provides a fallback for other directives. Set it to restrict default resource loading. - **[INFO]** No script-src or default-src to check for 'unsafe-inline' - **[INFO]** No script-src or default-src to check for 'unsafe-eval' - **[INFO]** No script-src or default-src to check for wildcard - **[PASS]** object-src falls back to default-src - **[WARNING]** base-uri directive is missing — Without base-uri, attackers can inject a tag to hijack relative URLs. Set it to 'self' or 'none'. - **[PASS]** frame-ancestors directive is set - **[WARNING]** form-action directive is missing — form-action restricts where forms can submit data, preventing form hijacking. - **[INFO]** upgrade-insecure-requests is not set — This directive upgrades HTTP resources to HTTPS automatically, preventing mixed content. ### TLS & Certificates (A+ — 100/100) *TLS 1.3, 7 checks passed* - **[PASS]** TLS 1.3 is used - **[PASS]** Strong cipher suite is used - **[INFO]** HTTP/2 is not negotiated — HTTP/2 provides multiplexing and header compression for better performance. - **[PASS]** Certificate is valid (expires in 109 days) - **[PASS]** Certificate chain has 2 certificates - **[PASS]** Certificate uses modern signature algorithm - **[PASS]** Certificate covers 26 domain(s) - **[PASS]** Certificate is issued by a trusted CA ### Cookie Security (B — 70/100) *2 cookies analyzed, 2 checks passed* - **[PASS]** Cookie 'vmidv1' has the Secure flag - **[WARNING]** Cookie 'vmidv1' is missing the HttpOnly flag — Without HttpOnly, this cookie can be accessed by JavaScript, making it vulnerable to XSS-based theft. - **[PASS]** Cookie 'vmidv1' has SameSite=Lax - **[CRITICAL]** Cookie '_vm_consent_type' is missing the Secure flag — Without the Secure flag, this cookie can be sent over unencrypted HTTP, exposing it to interception. - **[WARNING]** Cookie '_vm_consent_type' is missing the HttpOnly flag — Without HttpOnly, this cookie can be accessed by JavaScript, making it vulnerable to XSS-based theft. - **[WARNING]** Cookie '_vm_consent_type' has no SameSite attribute — Without an explicit SameSite attribute, browser default behavior varies. Set SameSite=Lax or Strict. --- ## Advanced Security ### Subresource Integrity (D — 40/100) *1 of 24 external resources have SRI* - **[PASS]** script from www.gstatic.com has SRI protection - **[WARNING]** External script from sb.scorecardresearch.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from config.aps.amazon-adsystem.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from client.aps.amazon-adsystem.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.google.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from cdn.cookielaw.org lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagservices.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from cdn.concert.io lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from assets.zephr.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from cdn.bullwhip.cloud lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from tag.wknd.ai lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from apps.voxmedia.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from btloader.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from cdn.concert.io lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from config.aps.amazon-adsystem.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from cdn.cookielaw.org lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from securepubads.g.doubleclick.net lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from cdn.cookielaw.org lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from d15kdpgjg3unno.cloudfront.net lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from cdn.concert.io lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from pub.doubleverify.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from theverge.coral.coralproject.net lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from cdnjs.cloudflare.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. ### JS Library Vulnerabilities (A+ — 100/100) *No known vulnerabilities* - **[PASS]** No known JavaScript library vulnerabilities detected ### Information Leakage (A+ — 100/100) *No exposures* - **[INFO]** No security.txt found — Consider adding a security.txt at /.well-known/security.txt. - **[PASS]** No sensitive files exposed ### Email Security (F — 30/100) *No DMARC* - **[WARNING]** No DMARC record found — Without DMARC, email receivers have no policy for handling authentication failures. ### Permissions-Policy (D — 40/100) *No header set* - **[WARNING]** No Permissions-Policy header — Consider adding a Permissions-Policy header to restrict browser feature access from embedded content. ### CORS Configuration (B — 80/100) *No CORS headers* - **[PASS]** No CORS headers present — secure default --- ## Performance ### Page Weight Budget (F — 0/100) *5.2 MB transferred, 187 requests* - **[CRITICAL]** Page weighs 13.5 MB (5.2 MB transferred) - **[WARNING]** JavaScript is 3.2 MB — consider code splitting or lazy loading — Large JavaScript bundles delay interactivity. Split code by route or defer non-critical scripts. - **[WARNING]** Images are 1.1 MB — compress or use modern formats — Convert images to WebP/AVIF and resize to display dimensions to reduce transfer size. - **[INFO]** Fonts are 645 KB — consider subsetting or using system fonts — Subset fonts to include only used characters, or switch to system font stacks. - **[WARNING]** 187 HTTP requests — consider bundling or reducing — Each request adds latency. Bundle small files, use sprites, or eliminate unnecessary requests. - **[INFO]** Estimated 1.1 g CO2 per page load ### Third-Party Impact (B — 70/100) *58% third-party, 0 ms blocking* - **[WARNING]** Third-party code accounts for 58% of page weight (3.0 MiB of 5.2 MiB) - **[PASS]** Third-party blocking time is low (0 ms) ### Text Compression (A+ — 100/100) *All text resources are compressed* - **[PASS]** All text resources are compressed ### Image Optimization (B — 70/100) *28 images, 0 KB saveable* - **[WARNING]** is missing width/height — may cause layout shift — Set explicit width and height to prevent CLS. ### JS Execution Cost (F — 20/100) *33774ms total JS execution* - **[WARNING]** https://d15kdpgjg3unno.cloudfront.net/oPS.js?cid=1...: 16131ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** https://www.theverge.com/_next/static/chunks/pages...: 4018ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** https://www.theverge.com/_next/static/chunks/frame...: 2786ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** Unattributable: 2381ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** https://www.theverge.com/: 2071ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** Third-party scripts: 23981ms (71% of total) ### Font Loading (A+ — 100/100) *17 fonts (645 KB)* - **[INFO]** 17 font(s) use font-display: swap (FOUT risk but functional) ### JS Bundles (F — 20/100) *60 scripts, 1.4 MB unused* - **[WARNING]** https://www.theverge.com/metrics/gtm.js?id=GTM-WQ5...: 222 KB unused (32%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[WARNING]** https://www.gstatic.com/recaptcha/releases/kUYUkUl...: 179 KB unused (49%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[WARNING]** https://www.gstatic.com/recaptcha/releases/kUYUkUl...: 179 KB unused (49%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[WARNING]** https://www.gstatic.com/recaptcha/releases/kUYUkUl...: 179 KB unused (49%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[WARNING]** https://www.theverge.com/_next/static/chunks/pages...: 170 KB unused (39%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[INFO]** Total unused JavaScript: 1.4 MB ### Resource Caching (A+ — 100/100) *All resources properly cached* - **[PASS]** No caching issues found ### Critical Rendering Path (A+ — 100/100) *No render-blocking resources* - **[PASS]** No render-blocking resources detected ### Resource Hints (A+ — 100/100) *25 hints, 0 missing preconnects* - **[PASS]** Page uses 25 resource hint(s) ### Render-Blocking Resources (A+ — 100/100) *No render-blocking resources detected* - **[PASS]** No render-blocking resources detected in ### Third-Party Resources (A+ — 100/100) *No third-party resources detected* --- ## Content Quality ### Links (C — 75/100) *200 links checked, 195 healthy, 5 broken* - **[CRITICAL]** 195 of 200 links are healthy - **[WARNING]** Broken link: https://aax.amazon-adsystem.com — Found in . Returns HTTP 404. - **[WARNING]** Broken link: https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com — Found in . Returns HTTP 404. - **[WARNING]** Broken link: https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net — Found in . Returns HTTP 404. - **[CRITICAL]** Broken link: https://www.wsj.com/business/logistics/amazon-and-u-s-pos... — Found in . Returns HTTP 401. - **[CRITICAL]** Broken link: https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/amazon-usps-package-v... — Found in . Returns HTTP 401. ### Mixed Content (A+ — 100/100) *No mixed content detected — all resources use HTTPS.* - **[PASS]** No mixed content detected — all resources use HTTPS ### Open Graph (A — 90/100) *Open Graph tags are well configured for social sharing.* - **[CRITICAL]** og:image is not reachable — The og:image URL could not be fetched. Social platforms won't be able to display it. - **[INFO]** og:title is short (9 characters) — Ideal length is 25–60 characters for social sharing previews. - **[INFO]** og:description is long (221 characters) — Descriptions over 200 characters may be truncated in social sharing previews. ### Structured Data (A+ — 100/100) *2 JSON-LD block(s) found — structured data is well configured.* - **[INFO]** Missing recommended property "description" for WebSite — Adding "description" can improve how search engines display your content. - **[PASS]** Custom type "NewsMediaOrganization" — unable to validate specific properties - **[PASS]** 2 JSON-LD blocks found --- ## Infrastructure ### DNS Records (B — 80/100) *4 A records, 26 ms lookup* - **[PASS]** Resolves to 4 IPv4 address(es) - **[INFO]** No IPv6 (AAAA) records - **[WARNING]** CNAME record at zone apex — A CNAME at the zone apex can break MX and NS records. Use ALIAS/ANAME or A records instead. - **[INFO]** No NS records found - **[INFO]** No MX records — email not configured via DNS - **[INFO]** CAA records not checked — CAA record lookup requires a specialized DNS resolver. This check will be available in a future update. - **[INFO]** No SPF record found in TXT records — SPF helps prevent email spoofing. Add a TXT record starting with 'v=spf1'. - **[PASS]** DNS resolution time: 26 ms ### Redirect Chain (A+ — 100/100) *No redirects — direct access* - **[PASS]** No redirects — direct access ### IPv6 Readiness (C — 60/100) *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. ### Crawlability (A+ — 100/100) *robots.txt present, sitemap with 33 URLs* - **[PASS]** robots.txt is present - **[PASS]** sitemap.xml is present - **[PASS]** sitemap.xml is valid XML - **[PASS]** sitemap.xml contains 33 entries - **[PASS]** robots.txt references sitemap ### URL Variants (A+ — 100/100) *www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS* - **[PASS]** www/non-www redirect configured correctly (preferred: www) - **[PASS]** HTTP correctly 301-redirects to HTTPS ### Domain Intelligence (A+ — 100/100) *theverge.com — via Amazon Registrar, Inc., 27 years, 9 months old, hosted on Fastly* - **[PASS]** Domain registered until Nov 10, 2026 (7 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. - **[PASS]** Registrar: Amazon Registrar, Inc. - **[PASS]** Hosting: Fastly --- ## Compliance ### WCAG Compliance (A+ — 100/100) *No testable criteria* ### Cookie Consent & Privacy (B — 80/100) *No consent signals detected* - **[WARNING]** No privacy policy link detected — A privacy policy page is recommended for transparency and may be legally required. - **[INFO]** No terms of service link detected - **[INFO]** No cookie consent banner detected - **[PASS]** 2 cookie(s) set on initial load (functional) - **[INFO]** This is an automated check, not legal advice — BeaverCheck detects technical indicators of consent management. This does not constitute a legal compliance assessment. Consult a privacy professional for GDPR/CCPA compliance. ### Language & i18n (A — 90/100) *Lang attribute present* - **[PASS]** attribute is present - **[PASS]** value is valid - **[INFO]** No Content-Language HTTP header - **[INFO]** Language signals are inconsistent — The attribute and Content-Language header should agree. ### Readability & Typography (A+ — 100/100) *Font sizes and tap targets checked* ### Viewport Configuration (A+ — 100/100) *Viewport properly configured* - **[PASS]** Viewport meta tag is present - **[PASS]** width=device-width is set - **[PASS]** User zooming is allowed ### Third-Party Trackers (D — 40/100) *6 trackers detected* - **[INFO]** 6 third-party trackers detected — Found 2 analytics, 3 advertising, 0 marketing, 1 tag manager trackers. - **[WARNING]** 3 advertising/retargeting trackers detected — Advertising trackers collect user data for ad targeting. Under GDPR, these typically require explicit consent. - **[WARNING]** Trackers detected but no cookie policy found — This page loads 6 trackers but no cookie policy was detected. GDPR requires disclosure when using tracking cookies. - **[WARNING]** Trackers detected but no privacy policy found — Most data protection regulations require a privacy policy when collecting user data via trackers. --- ## Legal ### Legal Page Ecosystem (C — 55/100) *3 of 7 expected legal pages detected* - **[WARNING]** Privacy Policy not detected — No link matching common Privacy Policy URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Privacy Policy, especially those collecting user data. - **[PASS]** Terms of Service detected — Found at https://www.voxmedia.com/legal/terms-of-use, linked from footer. - **[PASS]** Cookie Policy detected — Found at https://www.voxmedia.com/legal/cookie-policy, linked from footer. - **[PASS]** Accessibility Statement detected — Found at https://www.voxmedia.com/legal/accessibility, linked from footer. - **[INFO]** DMCA / Copyright Notice not detected — No link matching common DMCA / Copyright Notice URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a DMCA / Copyright Notice, especially those collecting user data. - **[INFO]** Refund / Returns Policy not detected — No link matching common Refund / Returns Policy URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Refund / Returns Policy, especially those collecting user data. - **[INFO]** Acceptable Use Policy not detected — No link matching common Acceptable Use Policy URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Acceptable Use Policy, especially those collecting user data. ### Copyright Notice (A+ — 100/100) *© 2026 Vox Media* - **[PASS]** Copyright notice is up to date — Copyright notice is up to date: © 2026 Vox Media - **[PASS]** Copyright holder: Vox Media ### Regulatory Indicators *2 regulatory indicator(s) detected* - **[INFO]** This is a technical scan, not a legal assessment — BeaverCheck detects technical indicators that may suggest regulatory relevance. This is not a compliance audit and should not be relied upon for legal decisions. Consult qualified legal counsel for compliance assessments. - **[INFO]** GDPR indicators detected (strong confidence) — Indicators suggesting GDPR may be relevant: Consent management platform detected: cookielaw.org; Privacy policy page found. EU General Data Protection Regulation — governs collection and processing of personal data of EU residents. - **[INFO]** ADA indicators detected (moderate confidence) — Indicators suggesting ADA may be relevant: Accessibility statement page found. Americans with Disabilities Act / Section 508 — requires digital accessibility for people with disabilities. ### Third-Party Data Sharing *3 third-party service(s) detected* - **[INFO]** Data inventory for transparency purposes — This inventory identifies third-party services that receive data from your site visitors. Under regulations like GDPR (Article 30), maintaining records of data processing activities is commonly considered a best practice. This automated scan provides a starting point — it may not capture all data flows. - **[INFO]** 3 third-party services across 3 categories — 3 third-party services detected across 3 categories: Tag Management (1), CDN (1), Security (1). Each of these services receives some user data from your site visitors. - **[INFO]** Google Tag Manager (Tag Management) — Detected via script URL. Typically collects: Orchestrates other tracking scripts, Page views. Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Data Processing Agreement available. - **[INFO]** Cloudflare (CDN) — Detected via script URL. Typically collects: IP address (transient), Request metadata. Privacy policy: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/. Data Processing Agreement available. - **[INFO]** reCAPTCHA (Security) — Detected via script URL. Typically collects: Browser behavior, Device info, IP address. Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Data Processing Agreement available. ### Compliance Badges (C — 55/100) *0 compliance badge(s) detected* - **[INFO]** No compliance badges detected — No recognized compliance certification badges or seals were found. This is common — many sites do not display compliance badges. --- ## Availability ### CDN & Delivery (A+ — 100/100) *Fastly (HIT, HIT)* - **[PASS]** Site is served via Fastly CDN - **[PASS]** CDN cache status: HIT, HIT ### HTTP Caching (D — 45/100) *no-store (uncacheable)* - **[INFO]** Cache-Control: no-store prevents all caching — Intentional for dynamic content, but increases server load for every page view. - **[PASS]** ETag present — enables conditional (304) responses ### Transport Security (A+ — 100/100) *HTTP/3, HSTS, and TLS version analysis* - **[PASS]** HTTP/3 (QUIC) supported — The server advertises HTTP/3 via Alt-Svc for faster connections on mobile networks. - **[PASS]** HSTS enabled (preload) - **[INFO]** HSTS missing includeSubDomains — Without includeSubDomains, HSTS only protects the exact domain. - **[PASS]** HSTS preload enabled - **[PASS]** TLS 1.3 in use (fastest handshake, 1-RTT) --- ## Accessibility ### Landmark Structure (A+ — 95/100) *8 landmarks* - **[PASS]**
landmark present - **[PASS]** 2