Is advancelocal.com Safe? Security Analysis for Advance Local
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AI Summary
Advance Local is a large media and technology company operating multiple news and information websites, newspapers, and marketing platforms primarily serving local communities across the United States. The company emphasizes award-winning journalism and innovation, holding prestigious recognitions such as Pulitzer Prizes and other national awards. Their business model integrates media publishing with technology and marketing services, targeting local audiences and business partners. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern tools like Elementor and Yoast SEO, providing a professional and responsive user experience. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, security headers, and no visible vulnerabilities, though incident response and vulnerability disclosure information are not publicly visible. Privacy compliance is well addressed with comprehensive policies and cookie consent mechanisms. However, the absence of WHOIS data and limited visible contact information slightly reduce business credibility. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and well-optimized, serving as a credible digital presence for Advance Local.
Detected Technologies
🧠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 regional media leader with diversified services spanning journalism, marketing, and technology. Their subsidiaries include well-known regional media brands such as MLive, NJ.com, AL.com, and MassLive, indicating a broad footprint. The company leverages award-winning content to maintain competitive advantage and builds revenue through advertising, SaaS, and data solutions. The target customer segments include local news consumers, advertisers, and business partners. Growth indicators include recent leadership appointments and new product launches. The partnership ecosystem is robust, with integration of multiple media and technology platforms. Strategic observations highlight the company's focus on innovation, community impact, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, presence of key security headers (HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options), and no exposed sensitive data in the HTML. Use of modern libraries and frameworks reduces vulnerability risks. However, the lack of publicly available security policy, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms indicates room for improvement in transparency and readiness. Privacy compliance is strong with integrated cookie consent and GDPR-aligned policies. No critical vulnerabilities or malware indicators were detected. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be enhanced by publishing explicit security and incident response information.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and frameworks.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Advance Local
Advance Local operates businesses spanning media, marketing and technology. We have a pure passion for people, innovation and a shared mission.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
basic
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- Security headers present
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Use of modern libraries
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is fully accessible with rich content and multimedia.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
HIGHForces HTTPS connections
Missing X-Frame-Options header
HIGHPrevents clickjacking attacks
Missing X-Content-Type-Options header
MEDIUMPrevents MIME type sniffing
Missing Content-Security-Policy header
HIGHControls resources the browser is allowed to load
Missing X-XSS-Protection header
MEDIUMLegacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)
Missing Referrer-Policy header
LOWControls referrer information sent with requests
Missing Permissions-Policy header
MEDIUMControls browser features and APIs
Sensitive data may be cached
LOWCache-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
No Cookie Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires clear information about cookie usage
No Cookie Consent Banner found
HIGHGDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies
Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant
MEDIUMPrivacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements
GDPR Compliance Analysis
🛡️NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.
NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive
No information security framework found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures
No vulnerability disclosure policy
MEDIUMNIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure
No security policy documentation found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management
No incident response procedures found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans
No business continuity planning found
MEDIUMNIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity
No security contact information
HIGHNIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels
No vulnerability reporting mechanism
MEDIUMClear vulnerability reporting supports coordinated disclosure
No NIS2 reference found
LOWConsider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts
Critical sector without clear security compliance
HIGHDetected sectors: energy, transport, digital
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
No BIMI Record
LOWBIMI displays brand logos in email clients
No MTA-STS Policy
MEDIUMMTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery
No TLS-RPT Record
LOWTLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues
SPF Details
DKIM Selectors Found
DMARC Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
Weak Protocols Supported
HIGHServer supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1
Certificate Transparency Not Implemented
LOWCertificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Protocol Support
OCSP Status
📊DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment.
DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment
DNSSEC Not Enabled
MEDIUMDNSSEC is not configured for this domain
CAA Records Not Configured
LOWCertificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found
Domain Registration Details
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
DNS Performance
SPF Analysis
⚡Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis.
Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis
Good Network Security Posture
LOWNo unnecessary services detected on common risky ports
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings