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Is advancelocal.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Advance Local

advancelocal.com Security Report Summary

advancelocal.com received a security score of 69 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers Advance Local's website security posture. Advance Local operates in the Media industry in N/a.

Advance Local is a prominent media, marketing, and technology company operating a portfolio of local and nationwide news and information websites, newspapers, and marketing platforms. The company emphasizes award-winning journalism, community empowerment, and innovation, positioning itself as a leader in local media with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Their business model integrates traditional media with modern SaaS and data solutions, serving a broad audience across multiple states and markets. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using Elementor and Yoast SEO, indicating a modern and flexible CMS infrastructure. The site employs Google Analytics for user tracking and Fides.js for privacy and cookie consent management, reflecting a moderate level of digital maturity. The site is mobile optimized and features good SEO practices, although accessibility could be improved. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS with good SSL configuration and includes privacy consent mechanisms. However, it lacks visible security headers, explicit security policies, and vulnerability disclosure information, which are areas for improvement. No WAF or blocking mechanisms were detected, and no critical vulnerabilities were found in the content. Overall, the website presents a professional and trustworthy front for Advance Local, but the absence of WHOIS data and explicit contact information slightly reduces trustworthiness. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing security policies, and improving transparency around contact and incident response.

The security scan identified 25 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: WordPress, Elementor, Google Analytics, Yoast SEO, jQuery, Swiper.js, Fides.js (privacy management).

About this security scan

Guard performs automated security assessments of websites by analyzing SSL/TLS certificates, HTTP security headers, DNS configuration, email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), GDPR compliance indicators, NIS2 directive compliance, network exposure, and AI-powered business intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

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Is advancelocal.com Safe? Security Analysis for Advance Local

https://advancelocal.com

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MediaN/alarge
WordPressElementorGoogle AnalyticsYoast SEOjQuery+2 more
Analyzed 10/7/2025Completed 7:52:46 PM5mo ago
69
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Above Media avg (58)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

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Domainadvancelocal.com
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SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

AI Summary

Advance Local is a prominent media, marketing, and technology company operating a portfolio of local and nationwide news and information websites, newspapers, and marketing platforms. The company emphasizes award-winning journalism, community empowerment, and innovation, positioning itself as a leader in local media with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Their business model integrates traditional media with modern SaaS and data solutions, serving a broad audience across multiple states and markets. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using Elementor and Yoast SEO, indicating a modern and flexible CMS infrastructure. The site employs Google Analytics for user tracking and Fides.js for privacy and cookie consent management, reflecting a moderate level of digital maturity. The site is mobile optimized and features good SEO practices, although accessibility could be improved. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS with good SSL configuration and includes privacy consent mechanisms. However, it lacks visible security headers, explicit security policies, and vulnerability disclosure information, which are areas for improvement. No WAF or blocking mechanisms were detected, and no critical vulnerabilities were found in the content. Overall, the website presents a professional and trustworthy front for Advance Local, but the absence of WHOIS data and explicit contact information slightly reduces trustworthiness. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing security policies, and improving transparency around contact and incident response.

Detected Technologies

WordPressElementorGoogle AnalyticsYoast SEOjQuerySwiper.jsFides.js (privacy management)

10 urgent findings need attention

10 high

  • + 2 more findings in the full report below
Continuous monitoring

Keep advancelocal.com under constant watch

Guard tracks your live infrastructure daily: certificate expiry, DNS & mail authentication drift, uptime changes, subdomain inventory, and unexpected tracker or content shifts. A full timeline captures every diff so you can prove remediation and spot regressions instantly.

Security drift alerts

Risk score drops, new high-severity issues, and header hardening gaps

Compliance watch

GDPR / NIS2 posture changes with governance evidence snapshots

Infrastructure surface

Unexpected open services, SSL expiry, DNS & email authentication changes

Content & tracker intelligence

Marketing tech shifts, analytics drift, and AI recommendation updates

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Security Headers

4 findings

55/100

GDPR Compliance

3 findings

58/100

NIS2 Compliance

9 findings

2/100

Email Security

3 findings

85/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Advance Local holds a strong market position as a leading local media and marketing company with a diversified portfolio of news websites and marketing technology platforms. Their competitive advantage lies in award-winning journalism combined with innovative SaaS and data-driven marketing solutions. Revenue streams likely include advertising, subscription services, and marketing platform fees. The target customer segments include local communities, advertisers, and business partners seeking local market reach. Growth indicators include recent awards, new product launches, and expansion of investigative journalism fellowships. The partnership ecosystem includes multiple subsidiary media brands and technology companies, enhancing their market footprint and service offerings.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The current security posture of Advance Local's website is moderate. HTTPS is properly implemented, ensuring encrypted communications. Privacy and cookie consent are managed via a reputable third-party script (Fides.js), indicating awareness of privacy regulations. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP), HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), and X-Frame-Options reduces protection against common web attacks. No explicit security or incident response policies are published, and no vulnerability disclosure or security.txt files are present, limiting transparency and preparedness. The lack of visible contact information for security incidents further weakens incident response readiness. Overall, while no critical vulnerabilities are evident, there is room for improvement in security best practices and compliance documentation.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement comprehensive security headers including CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options to enhance protection against web-based attacks.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Advance Local

Description:

Advance Local operates businesses spanning media, marketing and technology. We have a pure passion for people, innovation and a shared mission.

Key Services:
Local news and information websitesNewspapers and magazinesMarketing and data solutionsSaaS platforms
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
WordPressElementorGoogle AnalyticsYoast SEOjQuerySwiper.jsFides.js (privacy management)
Frameworks:
ElementorYoast SEO
Platforms:
WordPress CMS
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
80/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Privacy consent management via Fides.js

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google Analytics
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Marketing Tools:
Yoast SEOElementor
Transparency Level:basic

Website Quality Assessment

Design Quality:excellent
User Experience:good
Content Relevance:excellent
Navigation Clarity:good
Professionalism:excellent
Trustworthiness:high

Key Observations

1

Website is a professional media and marketing company site with rich content and award recognition.

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

55/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing Content-Security-Policy header

HIGH

Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

Missing Permissions-Policy header

MEDIUM

Controls browser features and APIs

Sensitive data may be cached

LOW

Cache-Control header should include "no-store" for sensitive pages

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

58/100
Score

No Cookie Policy found

HIGH

GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

No Cookie Consent Banner found

HIGH

GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant

MEDIUM

Privacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements

GDPR Compliance Analysis

Privacy Policy85% confidence
Cookie Policy0% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
emailphone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

2/100
Score

No information security framework found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures

No vulnerability disclosure policy

MEDIUM

NIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure

No security policy documentation found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management

No incident response procedures found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans

No business continuity planning found

MEDIUM

NIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity

No security contact information

HIGH

NIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels

No vulnerability reporting mechanism

MEDIUM

Clear vulnerability reporting supports coordinated disclosure

No NIS2 reference found

LOW

Consider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts

Critical sector without clear security compliance

HIGH

Detected sectors: energy, transport, digital

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📧Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

85/100
Score

No BIMI Record

LOW

BIMI displays brand logos in email clients

No MTA-STS Policy

MEDIUM

MTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery

No TLS-RPT Record

LOW

TLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues

SPF
Sender Policy Framework
DKIM
DomainKeys Identified Mail
DMARC
Domain-based Message Authentication
MX Records
Mail Exchange Records
BIMI
Brand Indicators
MTA-STS
Mail Transfer Agent Security
TLS-RPT
TLS Reporting
DNSSEC
DNS Security
SPF Details
Record:
v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:_spf.salesforce.com ip6:2603:1000::/24 ip4:136.175.3.0/24 -all
DNS Lookups:2/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:selector2(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine
Aggregate Reports:xnnzrak0@ag.dmarcian.com
Forensic Reports:xnnzrak0@fr.dmarcian.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

82/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Enabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

85/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
9 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(25 days)
Protection Level
strongDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:151.101.3.52, 151.101.67.52, 151.101.131.52, 151.101.195.52
Name Servers:
dns1.p09.nsone.net
dns2.p09.nsone.net
dns3.p09.nsone.net
dns4.p09.nsone.net
ns5.dnsmadeeasy.com
MX Records:
0: advancelocal-com.mail.protection.outlook.com
SOA:Serial: 1645638863, TTL: 900s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:76ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:_spf.salesforce.com ip6:2603:1000::/24 ip4:136.175.3.0/24 -all

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis.

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis

100/100
Score

Good Network Security Posture

LOW

No unnecessary services detected on common risky ports

How does advancelocal.com compare?

See how advancelocal.com stacks up against similar websites in the same industry.

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website is built on a modern WordPress CMS platform using Elementor for page building and Yoast SEO for search engine optimization. It integrates Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for analytics and tracking. The use of Fides.js for privacy and cookie consent management demonstrates compliance efforts with privacy regulations. The site features responsive design and multimedia content including videos and image carousels. Performance is moderate with room for optimization, particularly in accessibility and security header implementation. The technical stack is well-suited for a media company but would benefit from enhanced security configurations and improved contact transparency to reduce operational risks.
Professional PDF & Marketing Data

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PDF Report & Export

PDF download, email delivery, unlock code

39.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Marketing Intelligence

Contact emails, phone numbers & warm leads

49.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domainadvancelocal.com
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

Secure payments processed via EveryPay. Prices in EUR; Incl. 21% VAT.

SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

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