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Is codepen.io a Scam? Security Check Results - CodePen Reviews

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Is codepen.io Safe? Security Analysis for CodePen

https://codepen.io

Check if codepen.io is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

TechnologyUnited Stateslarge
ReactSCSSJavaScriptCloudflare DNS and CDNFirebase (for backend services)+2 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 5:12:43 AM
70
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

CodePen is a well-established online platform founded in 2012 that serves as a social development environment for front-end designers and developers. It offers an online code editor, project building, testing, and a vibrant community for sharing and discovering front-end code. The platform targets front-end developers and designers, providing both free and PRO subscription models, including team collaboration features. Its market position is strong, supported by endorsements from major technology companies and a large user base.

Detected Technologies

ReactSCSSJavaScriptCloudflare DNS and CDNFirebase (for backend services)Stripe (payment processing)Braintree (payment processing)

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

CodePen operates a freemium business model with additional revenue streams from PRO accounts and team subscriptions. It leverages partnerships with payment processors like Stripe and Braintree. The platform's competitive advantage lies in its comprehensive feature set, including live collaboration, asset hosting, and presentation modes, which cater to both individual developers and teams. The company maintains a strong brand presence and a consistent user experience, appealing to a global audience of front-end professionals.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced, clientTransferProhibited domain status, and CSRF protection tokens. However, it lacks DNSSEC and does not publicly disclose a security policy or incident response contacts. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The absence of a cookie consent mechanism may pose compliance risks under GDPR. Overall, the security practices are robust but could be enhanced with improved transparency and DNS security.

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:

CodePen

Description:

CodePen is a social development environment for front-end designers and developers. It allows users to build, share, and learn JavaScript, CSS, and HTML with an online code editor. Users can build and deploy websites, show off their work, build test cases to learn and debug, and find inspiration.

Key Services:
Online code editorProject building and testingCommunity sharing and discoveryChallenges and learningAsset hostingCollaboration featuresPresentation mode
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
ReactSCSSJavaScriptCloudflare DNS and CDNFirebase (for backend services)Stripe (payment processing)Braintree (payment processing)
Frameworks:
React
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • ClientTransferProhibited domain status
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • CSRF tokens present in meta tags
  • Use of secure payment gateways (Stripe, Braintree)

Analytics & Tracking

Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Carbon AdsBuySellAds
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 fully accessible with rich content and interactive features.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

70/100
Score

Missing Content-Security-Policy header

HIGH

Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

Weak Referrer-Policy configuration

LOW

Current value: "same-origin"

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

53/100
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

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 Policy0% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
phone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

17/100
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

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

85/100
Score

No DKIM record found

MEDIUM

DKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails

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:s43465759.fdmarc.net ~all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:~all
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine
Aggregate Reports:a+43465759@fdmarc.net
Forensic Reports:f+43465759@fdmarc.net
MTA-STS Details

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

65/100
Score

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 47 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

1 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:codepen.io
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:10/23/2025 (47 days)
SANs:codepen.io, *.codepen.io

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

80/100
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 Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
13 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(902 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:104.16.147.32, 104.16.163.32
AAAA Records:2606:4700::6810:9320, 2606:4700::6810:a320
Name Servers:
albert.ns.cloudflare.com
kristin.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
10: aspmx2.googlemail.com
10: aspmx3.googlemail.com
SOA:Serial: 2381804393, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:59ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:s43465759.fdmarc.net ~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

CodePen employs a modern technology stack centered on React, SCSS, and JavaScript, hosted behind Cloudflare CDN and DNS services. The platform integrates Firebase for backend services and uses Stripe and Braintree for payment processing. The website is fast, mobile-optimized, and accessible, with good SEO practices and structured metadata. No CMS was detected, indicating a custom-built platform. The technical infrastructure supports a high-quality user experience and scalable operations.
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