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Security

· 11 checks — HTTP headers, CSP, TLS handshake, and cookie hygiene rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
75
GRADE
C
FIX
3
REVIEW
3
PASS
5
INFO
0
Checks
11
5 PASS 3 REVIEW 3 FIX
F
Content Security Policy
Action
3 of 10 CSP checks passed
FIX
3 of 10 CSP checks passed
Info::
Raw CSP policy
Got: default-src https: data: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; child-src https: data: blob:; connect-src https: data: blob:; font-src https: data:; img-src https: data: blob:; media-src blob: data: https:; object-src https:; script-src https: data: blob: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; style-src https: 'unsafe-inline'; block-all-mixed-content; upgrade-insecure-requests
Info::
default-src directive is set
Got: default-src https: data: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'
Critical::
'unsafe-inline' found in script source
'unsafe-inline' allows inline <script> tags, defeating CSP against XSS. Remove it and use nonces or hashes instead.
Got: script-src https: data: blob: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'
Critical::
'unsafe-eval' found in script source
'unsafe-eval' allows eval() and similar functions, enabling code injection. Remove it.
Got: script-src https: data: blob: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'
Info::
No wildcard in script source
Warning::
object-src allows plugin content
Set object-src to 'none' to prevent Flash/Java plugin exploits.
Got: object-src https: Expected: object-src 'none'
Warning::
base-uri directive is missing
Without base-uri, attackers can inject a <base> tag to hijack relative URLs. Set it to 'self' or 'none'.
Expected: base-uri 'self'
Warning::
frame-ancestors directive is missing
frame-ancestors controls who can embed your page, preventing clickjacking. Set it to 'self' or 'none'.
Expected: frame-ancestors 'self'
Warning::
form-action directive is missing
form-action restricts where forms can submit data, preventing form hijacking.
Expected: form-action 'self'
Info::
upgrade-insecure-requests is enabled

'unsafe-inline' allows inline <script> tags, defeating CSP against XSS. Remove it and use nonces or hashes instead.

Why this matters

Unsafe value (unsafe-inline, unsafe-eval) in script-src defeats CSP's main protection — XSS injections can execute again.

Learn more ▾

unsafe-inline allows inline <script> tags; unsafe-eval allows eval() and similar. Both are necessary for some legacy code but explicitly dangerous. Migrate to nonces (per-page random tokens) or hashes (per-script SHA-256) instead.

Source: OWASP CSP / MDN

'unsafe-eval' allows eval() and similar functions, enabling code injection. Remove it.

Why this matters

Unsafe value (unsafe-inline, unsafe-eval) in script-src defeats CSP's main protection — XSS injections can execute again.

Learn more ▾

unsafe-inline allows inline <script> tags; unsafe-eval allows eval() and similar. Both are necessary for some legacy code but explicitly dangerous. Migrate to nonces (per-page random tokens) or hashes (per-script SHA-256) instead.

Source: OWASP CSP / MDN

Set object-src to 'none' to prevent Flash/Java plugin exploits.

Expected: object-src 'none'
Why this matters

object-src open in CSP allows Flash/PDF/plugin embedding — a now-deprecated attack vector that should be explicitly blocked.

Learn more ▾

object-src controls <object>, <embed>, and <applet> elements. Modern sites have no need for plugins; setting `object-src 'none'` blocks an entire class of legacy XSS vectors at zero cost. If your CSP missed it, add the directive.

Source: MDN CSP

Without base-uri, attackers can inject a <base> tag to hijack relative URLs. Set it to 'self' or 'none'.

Expected: base-uri 'self'
Why this matters

Missing base-uri in CSP leaves a base-tag injection attack path open even on otherwise strict policies.

Learn more ▾

A common omission: developers add CSP for script-src and frame-ancestors but forget base-uri. The result is a CSP that looks strict but lets an attacker rewrite every URL on the page via <base href>. Add `base-uri 'self'` to close the gap.

Source: MDN CSP

frame-ancestors controls who can embed your page, preventing clickjacking. Set it to 'self' or 'none'.

Expected: frame-ancestors 'self'
Why this matters

Security gaps expose your site and users to attacks, eroding trust.

form-action restricts where forms can submit data, preventing form hijacking.

Expected: form-action 'self'
Why this matters

Security gaps expose your site and users to attacks, eroding trust.

Parsed Policy

default-src https:data:'unsafe-inline''unsafe-eval'
child-src https:data:blob:
connect-src https:data:blob:
font-src https:data:
img-src https:data:blob:
media-src blob:data:https:
object-src https:
script-src https:data:blob:'unsafe-inline''unsafe-eval'
style-src https:'unsafe-inline'
block-all-mixed-content
upgrade-insecure-requests
F
Subresource Integrity
Action
0 of 19 external resources have SRI
FIX
0 of 19 external resources have SRI
Warning::
External script from globalservices.conde.digital lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://globalservices.conde.digital/p77xzrbz9z.js
Warning::
External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-PVBXQMCR&gtm=4e6411
Warning::
External script from planebasin.com lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://planebasin.com/dist/25dd01b14_8715a062a12be6f05714ee41f1a252e6e86d0.index.js
Warning::
External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-NLXNPCQ
Warning::
External script from privacy.condenastdigital.com lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://privacy.condenastdigital.com/fides.js?property_id=FDS-MIKT8M&
Warning::
External link from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/mu-plugins/_composer_elasticpress/dist/css/general-styles.css?ver=66295efe92a630617c00
Warning::
External link from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/mu-plugins/_composer_elasticpress/dist/css/highlighting-styles.css?ver=252562c4ed9241547293
Warning::
External link from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/themes/ars-v9/public/css/app.50b992.css
Warning::
External link from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/themes/ars-v9/public/css/ads.01e938.css
Warning::
External script from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?ver=3.7.1
Warning::
External script from www.googletagservices.com lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js
Warning::
External script from ads-static.conde.digital lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://ads-static.conde.digital/production/cns/builds/ars-technica/ars-technica.min.js
Warning::
External script from securepubads.g.doubleclick.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/managed/js/gpt/m202604010101/pubads_impl.js?cb=31097585
Warning::
External script from globalservices.conde.digital lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://globalservices.conde.digital/cwv-attribution.4.2.4.js
Warning::
External script from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/plugins/article-forum-connect/public/js/iframe-resizer.parent.js?ver=5.3.1
Warning::
External script from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/plugins/article-forum-connect/public/js/iframe.js?ver=1.2.4
Warning::
External script from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/themes/ars-v9/public/js/app.25ba18.js
Warning::
External script from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/themes/ars-v9/public/js/ads.ae0b0b.js
Warning::
External script from cdn.arstechnica.net lacks integrity attribute
Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code.
Got: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/themes/ars-v9/public/js/stats.74db3c.js
SRI Coverage 0 / 19 of external resources have integrity hashes
TagDomainIntegrity
<script>globalservices.conde.digital✗ Missing
<script>www.googletagmanager.com✗ Missing
<script>planebasin.com✗ Missing
<script>www.googletagmanager.com✗ Missing
<script>privacy.condenastdigital.com✗ Missing
<link>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<link>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<link>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<link>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<script>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<script>www.googletagservices.com✗ Missing
<script>ads-static.conde.digital✗ Missing
<script>securepubads.g.doubleclick.net✗ Missing
<script>globalservices.conde.digital✗ Missing
<script>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<script>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<script>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<script>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
<script>cdn.arstechnica.net✗ Missing
D
security.txt
Action
No /.well-known/security.txt published
FIX

security.txt

No security.txt found at /.well-known/security.txt

C
Security Headers
Action
6 of 10 headers properly configured
REVIEW
6 of 10 headers properly configured
Critical::
HSTS header is missing
Strict-Transport-Security forces browsers to use HTTPS, preventing downgrade attacks. Add the header with a max-age of at least 1 year.
Expected: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
Info::
X-Content-Type-Options is properly configured
Got: nosniff
Info::
X-Frame-Options is properly configured
Got: 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.
Expected: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
Info::
Permissions-Policy is set
Got: local-network-access=()
Info::
Content-Security-Policy is present
Got: default-src https: data: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; child-src https: data: b…
Warning::
Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy header is missing
COOP isolates your browsing context, preventing cross-origin side-channel attacks. Set to 'same-origin'.
Expected: 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.
Expected: require-corp
Info::
X-Powered-By header is not present
Info::
Server header is not present

Strict-Transport-Security forces browsers to use HTTPS, preventing downgrade attacks. Add the header with a max-age of at least 1 year.

Expected: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
Why this matters

Without HSTS, a network attacker can downgrade the very first connection to HTTP and steal the user's session.

Learn more ▾

HSTS tells browsers 'never speak HTTP to this domain again.' Without it, a network attacker (public WiFi, malicious ISP, hostile DNS) intercepts the first HTTP attempt and serves a downgraded version of your site. One header, big surface reduction.

Source: RFC 6797 / OWASP

Controls how much referrer information is sent with requests. Set to 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin' or stricter.

Expected: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
Why this matters

Default browser behavior leaks full URLs (including query params and tokens) to every third-party resource — set a strict policy.

Learn more ▾

Without a Referrer-Policy header, browsers send the full referring URL with images, scripts, and fonts loaded from third-party origins. URLs containing tokens, user IDs, or session params end up in third-party logs. Set `Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin` (or stricter) to limit leakage.

Source: MDN / W3C

COOP isolates your browsing context, preventing cross-origin side-channel attacks. Set to 'same-origin'.

Expected: same-origin
Why this matters

COOP isolates your top-level browsing context from cross-origin windows — without it, popup-based side-channel attacks remain possible.

Learn more ▾

Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy: same-origin prevents cross-origin pages from sharing a browsing-context group with yours. This blocks cross-window references that enable Spectre-style timing attacks and tab-nabbing. Required if you want to enable SharedArrayBuffer.

Source: MDN / web.dev

COEP prevents loading cross-origin resources without explicit permission. Required for SharedArrayBuffer and high-resolution timers.

Expected: require-corp
Why this matters

COEP enforces that all embedded resources opt-in to cross-origin embedding — required for cross-origin isolation features.

Learn more ▾

Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy: require-corp ensures every embedded resource (script, iframe, image) explicitly allows being loaded cross-origin. Combined with COOP, this enables the cross-origin-isolated context that unlocks SharedArrayBuffer, high-resolution timers, and other powerful APIs.

Source: MDN / web.dev

C
Permissions-Policy
Action
1 directives, 5 missing
REVIEW
1 directives, 5 missing
Info::
local-network-access=() — blocked for all origins
Info::
camera not restricted
Consider adding camera=() to block camera access from embedded content.
Info::
microphone not restricted
Consider adding microphone=() to block microphone access from embedded content.
Info::
geolocation not restricted
Consider adding geolocation=() to block geolocation access from embedded content.
Info::
payment not restricted
Consider adding payment=() to block payment access from embedded content.
Info::
usb not restricted
Consider adding usb=() to block usb access from embedded content.

Raw Header

local-network-access=()

Feature Permissions

Blocked Self Only Unrestricted Not Set
local-network-access Blocked
camera Not Set
microphone Not Set
geolocation Not Set
payment Not Set
usb Not Set
B
CORS Configuration
No CORS headers
REVIEW
No CORS headers
Info::
No CORS headers present — secure default
CORS Configuration ✓ Secure

No CORS headers detected.

Cross-origin requests are blocked by browser same-origin policy.

Origin reflection test

Some servers mirror the request Origin header, which can be exploited. Test manually:

curl -sI -H "Origin: https://evil.com" <url> | grep -i access-control
A+
TLS & Certificates
TLS 1.2, 7 checks passed
PASS
TLS 1.2, 7 checks passed
Info::
TLS 1.2 is used
Got: TLS 1.2
Info::
TLS 1.3 is not negotiated
TLS 1.3 offers improved performance and security. Consider enabling it.
Got: TLS 1.2
Info::
Strong cipher suite is used
Got: TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
Info::
HTTP/2 is not negotiated
HTTP/2 provides multiplexing and header compression for better performance.
Got: http/1.1
Info::
Certificate is valid (expires in 141 days)
Got: 2026-08-23T23:59:59Z
Info::
Certificate chain has 3 certificates
Info::
Certificate uses modern signature algorithm
Got: SHA256-RSA
Info::
Certificate covers 2 domain(s)
Got: *.arstechnica.com, arstechnica.com
Info::
Certificate is issued by a trusted CA
Got: CN=Amazon RSA 2048 M03,O=Amazon,C=US

TLS 1.3 offers improved performance and security. Consider enabling it.

Why this matters

TLS 1.3 not in use — connection falls back to 1.2 and pays the extra round-trip.

Learn more ▾

Most clients prefer TLS 1.3 if both sides support it. If your server has TLS 1.3 enabled but it's not being negotiated, check for a downgrade-attack mitigation issue or a misconfigured cipher list. nginx ≥ 1.13.0 and OpenSSL ≥ 1.1.1 support TLS 1.3.

Source: RFC 8446 / Mozilla SSL Config

HTTP/2 provides multiplexing and header compression for better performance.

Why this matters

HTTP/1.1 forces the browser to make sequential requests, multiplying latency on every page.

Learn more ▾

HTTP/2 (and HTTP/3) multiplex many requests over a single connection, eliminating head-of-line blocking. HTTP/1.1 forces the browser to either queue requests or open many parallel connections — both worse. Most modern web servers support HTTP/2 with one config line.

Source: MDN Web Docs

Connection
Protocol
TLS 1.2
Cipher Suite
TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
HTTP Version
HTTP/1.1

Certificate Chain

Leaf Certificate
Subject CN=*.arstechnica.comIssuer CN=Amazon RSA 2048 M03,O=Amazon,C=USValid 2025-07-27T00:00:00Z → 2026-08-23T23:59:59ZExpires in 141 days SANs *.arstechnica.com, arstechnica.comSignature SHA256-RSASerial c3fe8a69950369cd4cbe8e54e4d0ef5
Intermediate (CA Certificate)
Subject CN=Amazon RSA 2048 M03,O=Amazon,C=USIssuer CN=Amazon Root CA 1,O=Amazon,C=USValid 2022-08-23T22:26:04Z → 2030-08-23T22:26:04ZExpires in 1602 days Signature SHA256-RSASerial 773124cd406d267c0991cdd299a9f38317985
Intermediate (CA Certificate)
Subject CN=Amazon Root CA 1,O=Amazon,C=USIssuer CN=Starfield Services Root Certificate Authority - G2,O=Starfield Technologies\, Inc.,L=Scottsdale,ST=Arizona,C=USValid 2015-05-25T12:00:00Z → 2037-12-31T01:00:00ZExpires in 4288 days Signature SHA256-RSASerial 67f944a2a27cdf3fac2ae2b01f908eeb9c4c6
A+
Cookie Security
1 cookies analyzed, 2 checks passed
PASS
1 cookies analyzed, 2 checks passed
Info::
Cookie 'ars_session' has the Secure flag
Info::
Cookie 'ars_session' has the HttpOnly flag
Warning::
Cookie 'ars_session' has no SameSite attribute
Without an explicit SameSite attribute, browser default behavior varies. Set SameSite=Lax or Strict.
1 cookies analyzed 1 warnings
NameSecureHttpOnlySameSiteSizeIssues
ars_session✓✓—43 B1
A+
JS Library Vulnerabilities
No known vulnerabilities
PASS
No known vulnerabilities
Info::
No known JavaScript library vulnerabilities detected

No known JavaScript library vulnerabilities detected.

A+
Information Leakage
No exposures
PASS
No exposures
Info::
No security.txt found
Consider adding a security.txt at /.well-known/security.txt.
Info::
No sensitive files exposed

No sensitive files exposed — all paths returned 404.

PathStatusCategoryRisk
/.git/HEAD✓ Not foundVersion Control—
/.git/config✓ Not foundVersion Control—
/.svn/entries✓ Not foundVersion Control—
/.env✓ Not foundConfiguration—
/.env.local✓ Not foundConfiguration—
/.env.production✓ Not foundConfiguration—
/wp-config.php✓ Not foundConfiguration—
/.htaccess✓ Not foundConfiguration—
/phpinfo.php✓ Not foundDebug—
/server-status✓ Not foundDebug—
/server-info✓ Not foundDebug—
/.well-known/security.txt✓ Not foundSecurity Policy—
A+
Email Security
DMARC: reject
PASS
DMARC: reject
Info::
DMARC policy is reject — strongest protection
DMARC
Policy reject — strongest protection Record v=DMARC1; p=reject; pct=100; sp=reject; rua=mailto:a6816915@inbox.ondmarc.com; ruf=mailto:a6816915@inbox.ondmarc.com; adkim=r; aspf=r; fo=1; rf=afrf; ri=3600
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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