Skip to main content

Is arstechnica.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Ars Technica Reviews

arstechnica.com favicon

Is arstechnica.com Safe? Security Analysis for Ars Technica

https://arstechnica.com

Check if arstechnica.com is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

MediaN/alarge
jQueryGoogle Tag ManagerSnowplow AnalyticsChargebeeGoogle Publisher Tags+2 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 1:49:58 AM
77
Security Score
LOW RISK

AI Summary

Ars Technica is a long-established online media platform specializing in technology news, reviews, and analysis since 1998. It targets technologists, IT professionals, and tech enthusiasts with comprehensive coverage across IT, AI, science, cybersecurity, and tech policy. The website operates under the parent company Conde Nast and leverages a subscription and advertising business model. Technically, the site is built on WordPress and employs modern web technologies including jQuery, Google Tag Manager, and advanced analytics tools like Snowplow and Permutive. Hosting is via Amazon AWS infrastructure, ensuring reliable performance and scalability. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and domain transfer restrictions in place, though DNSSEC is not enabled and explicit security policies are not published. Privacy compliance is partially addressed with consent management tools but lacks visible privacy and cookie policies in the provided content. Overall, the site demonstrates high professionalism, excellent content quality, and strong business credibility.

Detected Technologies

jQueryGoogle Tag ManagerSnowplow AnalyticsChargebeeGoogle Publisher TagsFides.js (privacy management)ElasticPress

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Ars Technica holds a strong market position as a trusted source for technology news and analysis, benefiting from its long domain age and association with Conde Nast. Its business model combines advertising with subscription services managed via Chargebee. The target audience is specialized, focusing on technologists and IT professionals, which supports niche content and advertising strategies. The site integrates multiple advertising and tracking technologies, balancing monetization with user consent mechanisms. No suspicious domains or partners were identified, indicating a clean partnership ecosystem. The brand maintains consistent and professional digital presence with strong SEO and structured data implementation.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website enforces HTTPS and employs domain status protections to prevent unauthorized transfers. Security headers are implied but not explicitly confirmed in the provided data. The absence of DNSSEC is a minor security gap. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed content. However, the lack of published security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms indicates room for improvement in transparency and readiness. Privacy compliance is basic, with consent management scripts present but no visible privacy or cookie policies. Overall, the security posture is good but could be enhanced by publishing comprehensive policies and enabling DNSSEC.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC to strengthen DNS security and prevent spoofing.

✨Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Ars Technica

Description:

News and reviews, covering IT, AI, science, space, health, gaming, cybersecurity, tech policy, computers, mobile devices, and operating systems.

Key Services:
Technology newsProduct reviewsIn-depth analysisTech policy coverage
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
jQueryGoogle Tag ManagerSnowplow AnalyticsChargebeeGoogle Publisher TagsFides.js (privacy management)ElasticPress
Frameworks:
WordPress
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

excellent

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Client and server transfer prohibitions on domain
  • Use of security-focused scripts and privacy management tools

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Snowplow AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerPermutive
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Google DoubleClickConde Nast Digital Ads
Tracking Pixels:
Snowplow AnalyticsPermutive
Marketing Tools:
Chargebee (subscription management)
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is a well-established technology news and review platform.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

65/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing Referrer-Policy header

LOW

Controls referrer information sent with requests

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

68/100
Score

No Cookie Consent Banner found

HIGH

GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

No Data Protection Officer mentioned

LOW

Large organizations may need to designate a DPO under GDPR

Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant

MEDIUM

Privacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements

GDPR Compliance Analysis

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

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

47/100
Score

No vulnerability disclosure policy

MEDIUM

NIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure

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

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

100/100
Score
No issues found
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:_u.arstechnica.com._spf.smart.ondmarc.com ~all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1408-bit rsa)
Selector:k2(1416-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Subdomain Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:a6816915@inbox.ondmarc.com
Forensic Reports:a6816915@inbox.ondmarc.com
MTA-STS Details

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

67/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

OCSP Stapling Not Enabled

LOW

OCSP stapling improves performance and privacy

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

1 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

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 Disabled

📊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
26 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(115 days)
Protection Level
strongDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:3.12.20.22, 3.23.50.161
Name Servers:
ns-1285.awsdns-32.org
ns-2008.awsdns-59.co.uk
ns-493.awsdns-61.com
ns-783.awsdns-33.net
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 1, TTL: 86400s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:68ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:_u.arstechnica.com._spf.smart.ondmarc.com ~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

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website is built on WordPress CMS with a modern tech stack including jQuery, Google Tag Manager, Snowplow Analytics, and Chargebee for subscription management. Hosting is provided via Amazon AWS, indicated by the use of AWS DNS servers. The site demonstrates fast performance, excellent mobile optimization, and good accessibility features. SEO is well implemented with canonical tags, Open Graph metadata, and JSON-LD structured data. The presence of multiple advertising and tracking scripts is managed with a consent framework (Fides.js), reflecting a mature approach to privacy and marketing. Technical risks are minimal, with no visible outdated or vulnerable libraries. Opportunities exist to improve DNS security and enhance published security and privacy documentation.
Analyze Another Website