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https://thebalkanchronicle.com

Infrastructure

· 17 checks — DNS, redirects, IPv6, crawlability, URL variants, and domain intelligence rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
85
GRADE
B
FIX
1
REVIEW
5
PASS
11
INFO
0
Probed from Santa Clara, United States
302 Found
Checks
17
11 PASS 5 REVIEW 1 FIX
F
IPv6 Readiness
Action
IPv6 records exist but unreachable
FIX
IPv6 records exist but unreachable
Warning::
IPv6 DNS records exist but server is not reachable
Having AAAA records but an unreachable server is worse than no AAAA — clients may experience delays before falling back to IPv4.
Got: 2606:4700:3037::ac43:8505, 2606:4700:3031::6815:53a
Info::
IPv6 connection error
Got: dial tcp6 [2606:4700:3037::ac43:8505]:443: connect: network is unreachable
IPv6 Misconfigured
AAAA Records 2606:4700:3037::ac43:8505, 2606:4700:3031::6815:53a Connection UNREACHABLE

Having AAAA records but an unreachable server is worse than no AAAA — clients may experience delays before falling back to IPv4.

Why this matters

Advertising IPv6 (AAAA records) without a reachable server means IPv6-preferring clients silently fail every connection.

Learn more

Modern browsers prefer IPv6 if AAAA exists (Happy Eyeballs algorithm). If the IPv6 server isn't reachable, browsers fall back to IPv4 — but with seconds of added latency per request. Either fix IPv6 reachability or remove the AAAA records.

Source: RFC 8305 (Happy Eyeballs)

B
DNSSEC
Unsigned (DNSSEC not deployed)
REVIEW
Unsigned (DNSSEC not deployed)
Info::
DNSSEC is not deployed
The zone is not DNSSEC-signed. Users on validating resolvers (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, Quad9 9.9.9.9, growing default in mobile resolvers) get no protection against DNS spoofing for this domain. Most registrars now offer DNSSEC at a single click; consider enabling it for sites where authenticity matters (banking, healthcare, government).
B
CAA Records
No CAA records (any CA may issue certificates)
REVIEW
No CAA records (any CA may issue certificates)
Info::
No CAA records published
Without CAA records, any publicly-trusted CA can issue certificates for this domain. Adding a CAA record (`yourdomain. IN CAA 0 issue "letsencrypt.org"`) restricts issuance to CAs you authorize. Required by CAB Forum baseline since 2017; the default of 'any CA' is widely supported but is the broader attack surface for issuance fraud.
C
Reverse DNS
Action
0/4 IPs match cert SAN
REVIEW
0/4 IPs match cert SAN
Info::
PTR lookup failed for 104.21.5.58: lookup 104.21.5.58: no such host
No reverse DNS record set for this IP. Common on bare cloud-VM IPs without provider-side PTR; not a security issue.
Info::
PTR lookup failed for 172.67.133.5: lookup 172.67.133.5: no such host
No reverse DNS record set for this IP. Common on bare cloud-VM IPs without provider-side PTR; not a security issue.
Info::
PTR lookup failed for 2606:4700:3037::ac43:8505: lookup 2606:4700:3037::ac43:8505: no such host
No reverse DNS record set for this IP. Common on bare cloud-VM IPs without provider-side PTR; not a security issue.
Info::
PTR lookup failed for 2606:4700:3031::6815:53a: lookup 2606:4700:3031::6815:53a: no such host
No reverse DNS record set for this IP. Common on bare cloud-VM IPs without provider-side PTR; not a security issue.
B
TLS Certificate Expiry & Recommendations
85 days until leaf cert expires — 3 issues to address
REVIEW

Certificate validity

85
days left
0d 30d 60d 90d+

Recommended actions

  • Enable HSTS: Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
  • 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
B
Operational Status Page
No status page link detected
REVIEW
No status page link detected
Info::
No operational status page link detected
Status pages communicate planned maintenance and incidents to users -- a hallmark of operationally-mature services. Most SaaS teams publish one via Atlassian Statuspage, Instatus, BetterUptime, or a self-hosted Cachet. Smaller sites legitimately don't need one; flagged as Info, not a failure.
A+
DNS Records
2 A records, 14 ms lookup
PASS
2 A records, 14 ms lookup
Info::
Resolves to 2 IPv4 address(es)
Got: 104.21.5.58, 172.67.133.5
Info::
Has 2 IPv6 (AAAA) record(s)
Got: 2606:4700:3037::ac43:8505, 2606:4700:3031::6815:53a
Info::
2 nameserver(s) configured
Got: alice.ns.cloudflare.com, kolton.ns.cloudflare.com
Info::
3 mail exchanger(s) configured
Info::
SPF record present in TXT
Info::
DNS resolution time: 14 ms
Got: 14 ms
A104.21.5.58, 172.67.133.5
AAAA2606:4700:3037::ac43:8505, 2606:4700:3031::6815:53a
CNAME
NSalice.ns.cloudflare.com, kolton.ns.cloudflare.com
MX
7 route2.mx.cloudflare.net
40 route3.mx.cloudflare.net
46 route1.mx.cloudflare.net
TXT
google-site-verification=cK1fkZLUoUztafWzktFKsjPNHMPTTQ_4aHJBlc9qCBk
SPF v=spf1 include:_spf.mx.cloudflare.net ~all
CAALookup not available with standard resolver
Resolved in 14 ms
A+
Subdomain Takeover
No subdomain takeover risk detected
PASS
No subdomain takeover risk detected
Info::
No CNAME record present
A+
Multi-Resolver DNS Speed
Mean 11ms across 3 resolvers (spread 13ms)
PASS
Mean 11ms across 3 resolvers (spread 13ms)
Info::
Cloudflare: 5ms
Got: 5ms via 1.1.1.1:53
Info::
Quad9: 10ms
Got: 10ms via 9.9.9.9:53
Info::
Google: 18ms
Got: 18ms via 8.8.8.8:53
A
Redirect Chain
1 redirect(s), 122 ms total
PASS
1 redirect(s), 122 ms total
Info::
Single redirect
Got: https://thebalkanchronicle.com → https://thebalkanchronicle.com/es/ (302)
Info::
Uses 302 (temporary) redirect
If permanent, use 301 instead.
Got: https://thebalkanchronicle.com

https://thebalkanchronicle.com

56 ms · HTTP/1.1

302

https://thebalkanchronicle.com/es/

66 ms · HTTP/1.1 FINAL

#URLStatusTimeProtocolServer
1https://thebalkanchronicle.com30256 msHTTP/1.1cloudflare
2https://thebalkanchronicle.com/es/20066 msHTTP/1.1cloudflare

See the visual redirect chain in the HTTP Probe tab →

If permanent, use 301 instead.

Why this matters

302 (Found) is for genuinely temporary redirects — if this redirect is permanent, switch to 301 to preserve SEO equity.

Learn more

Search engines treat 302 as temporary, keeping the original URL indexed and not transferring full link equity to the destination. Use 301 (Moved Permanently) for permanent redirects (HTTP→HTTPS, www-vs-non-www, URL restructures).

Source: Google Search Central

A+
Crawlability
robots.txt present, sitemap with 271 URLs
PASS
robots.txt present, sitemap with 271 URLs
Info::
robots.txt is present
Got: 759 bytes
Info::
sitemap.xml is present
Info::
sitemap.xml is valid XML
Info::
sitemap.xml contains 271 entries
Info::
robots.txt does not reference a sitemap
Add a 'Sitemap:' directive to robots.txt so search engines can discover your sitemap.

Add a 'Sitemap:' directive to robots.txt so search engines can discover your sitemap.

Why this matters

robots.txt omits Sitemap: directive — crawlers must fetch /sitemap.xml by convention; reliable but missing the explicit hint.

Source: sitemaps.org

robots.txt 200 OK
Size 759 B Sitemaps referenced 0 User-agents Blocking No — crawling allowed
<!doctype html><title>Redirecting to: https://thebalkanchronicle.com/es</title><meta http-equiv="refresh" content="2;url=https://thebalkanchronicle.com/es"><meta name="robots" content="noindex"><link rel="canonical" href="https://thebalkanchronicle.com/es"><body>	<a href="https://thebalkanchronicle.com/es">Redirecting from <code>/</code> to <code>https://thebalkanchronicle.com/es</code></a><script type="module" src="https://static.cloudflareinsights.com/beacon.min.js/v4513226cdae34746b4dedf0b4dfa099e1781791509496" integrity="sha512-ZE9pZaUXND66v380QUtch/5sE9tPFh2zg45pR2PB0CVkCtOREv2AJKkSidISWkysEuQ0EH8faUU5du78bx87UQ==" data-cf-beacon='{"version":"2024.11.0","token":"8937f2af7514493ab6d5b4568200c6e3","r":1}' crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
</body>
A+
URL Variants
www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS
PASS
www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS
Info::
HTTP correctly 301-redirects to HTTPS

www / non-www

https://www.thebalkanchronicle.com/
200https://thebalkanchronicle.com/

HTTP → HTTPS

301http://thebalkanchronicle.com/ https://thebalkanchronicle.com/

Consistent

A+
Domain Intelligence
thebalkanchronicle.com — via Cloudflare, Inc., 1 months old, hosted on Cloudflare
PASS
thebalkanchronicle.com — via Cloudflare, Inc., 1 months old, hosted on Cloudflare
Info::
Domain registered until Jun 4, 2027 (10 months remaining)
Info::
Domain is only 1 months old
Newly registered domains may face SEO trust challenges. Search engines generally give more authority to older domains. This is informational — not a problem to fix.
Got: Registered Jun 4, 2026
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: Cloudflare, 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: Cloudflare
Got: AS13335
Domain expiry

313 days

June 4, 2027

SSL certificate

85 days

Issued by Google Trust Services

Domain age

1 months

Registered June 4, 2026

DNSSEC

Not enabled

Protects against DNS spoofing

Hosting

Cloudflare

ASN AS13335

172.67.133.5

Registrar

Cloudflare, Inc.

Unlocked 2 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
  • Newly registered domain — build backlinks and content to establish SEO trust
  • Enable registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) to block unauthorized domain transfers
Registrar Cloudflare, Inc.
Created June 4, 2026 (1 months ago)
Expires June 4, 2027 (10 months)
Last Updated June 4, 2026
Name Servers alice.ns.cloudflare.com, kolton.ns.cloudflare.com
DNSSEC Not enabled
Hosting
IP Address 172.67.133.5
ASN AS13335 (CLOUDFLARENET - Cloudflare, Inc., US)
Provider Cloudflare
Data source: rdap (0.2s)

Newly registered domains may face SEO trust challenges. Search engines generally give more authority to older domains. This is informational — not a problem to fix.

Why this matters

Informational: domain age. Newer domains may have lower trust signals in spam/security filters.

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

Connection waterfall

DNS Lookup 13 ms TCP Connect 4 ms TLS Handshake 11 ms Server Processing 39 ms Content Transfer 0 ms
A
CDN & Delivery
Cloudflare (DYNAMIC)
PASS
Cloudflare (DYNAMIC)
Info::
Site is served via Cloudflare CDN (edge: SJC)
Got: cf-ray: a20ad0f47ae8fa62-SJC
Info::
CDN cache status: DYNAMIC
CDN Detected: Cloudflare
Provider Cloudflare Cache Status DYNAMIC Evidence cf-ray: a20ad0f47ae8fa62-SJC
A+
CDN Cache Observability
Cache state: DYNAMIC
PASS
Cache state: DYNAMIC
Info::
CDN cache state observable via 1 header(s)
Got: cf-cache-status=DYNAMIC
A+
Health Check Endpoint
Health endpoint at https://thebalkanchronicle.com/health (HTTP 200)
PASS
Health endpoint at https://thebalkanchronicle.com/health (HTTP 200)
Info::
Public health endpoint at https://thebalkanchronicle.com/health
Got: https://thebalkanchronicle.com/health
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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