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Is ct.de a Scam? Security Check Results - Heise Medien GmbH & Co. KG Reviews

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Is ct.de Safe? Security Analysis for Heise Medien GmbH & Co. KG

Check if ct.de is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

MediaGermanylarge
JavaScriptInterRed CMSCloudimg.io (image optimization)Podigee (podcast player)YouTube embeds+6 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 12:03:55 PM
74
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Heise Medien GmbH & Co. KG operates the website www.heise.de/ct, a leading German technology media platform offering IT news, hardware and software reviews, podcasts, and video content. The site targets IT professionals and technology enthusiasts with high-quality, comprehensive content and a strong subscription model. Technically, the site uses modern web technologies including InterRed CMS, consent management via Sourcepoint, and analytics with Webtrekk, ensuring good performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, security headers, and GDPR compliance, though explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not publicly detailed. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and well-positioned in the German technology media market.

Detected Technologies

JavaScriptInterRed CMSCloudimg.io (image optimization)Podigee (podcast player)YouTube embedsKameleoon (A/B testing)Sourcepoint CMP (consent management)UpScore (recommendation engine)Webtrekk (analytics)Matomo (possible)Responsive design

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Heise Medien holds a strong market position as a reputable technology media publisher in Germany, with multiple subsidiary brands and services such as Telepolis and heise autos. The business model combines advertising, subscriptions, and affiliate marketing. The company targets a specialized audience of IT professionals and tech enthusiasts, leveraging a broad content ecosystem including magazines, podcasts, and video channels. Partnerships and services like heise shop and heise academy enhance revenue streams and customer engagement. The brand is consistent and trusted, with clear digital maturity and a focus on privacy compliance.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and GDPR-compliant consent mechanisms. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analysis. However, the absence of a publicly accessible security policy or incident response contact limits transparency. There is no evidence of vulnerability disclosure programs or security.txt files. Overall, the security practices align with industry standards for media websites, but could be improved by publishing explicit security and incident response information.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Heise Medien GmbH & Co. KG

Description:

Aktuelle IT-Nachrichten, Hardware- und Software-Tests, Know-how und Praxisanleitungen zu Betriebssystemen, Smartphones, Mini-Computern und noch viel mehr.

Key Services:
IT newsHardware and software reviewsTechnical guidesPodcastsVideo channelsMagazine subscriptions
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
JavaScriptInterRed CMSCloudimg.io (image optimization)Podigee (podcast player)YouTube embedsKameleoon (A/B testing)Sourcepoint CMP (consent management)UpScore (recommendation engine)Webtrekk (analytics)Matomo (possible)Responsive design
Frameworks:
InterRed CMS
Platforms:
WebMobile web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Consent management for GDPR
  • Secure login and registration forms
  • No exposed sensitive data detected

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Webtrekk
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
UpScoreKameleoon
Tracking Pixels:
Webtrekk
Marketing Tools:
Sourcepoint CMPKameleoon
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 professional technology media publication in German language.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

65/100
Score

Weak Strict-Transport-Security configuration

LOW

Current value: "max-age=15768000"

Missing Content-Security-Policy header

HIGH

Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

Missing Referrer-Policy header

LOW

Controls referrer information sent with requests

Missing Permissions-Policy header

MEDIUM

Controls browser features and APIs

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

85/100
Score

No Cookie Consent Banner found

HIGH

GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

GDPR Compliance Analysis

Privacy Policy85% confidence
Cookie Policy85% 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

75/100
Score

DMARC not enforcing

MEDIUM

DMARC policy is set to "none"

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 ip4:193.99.144.0/24 ip4:193.99.145.0/24 ip6:2a02:2e0:3fe:1001::/64 ip6:2a00:e68:14:800::/64 ip4:193.100.232.56 ip6:2a00:e68:14:801:bad::beef include:spf.dynect.net include:_spfdiv.heise.de include:spf.dsb.net include:spf.hornetsecurity.com ~all
DNS Lookups:4/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:mail(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Subdomain Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc.report@heise.de

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

95/100
Score

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 43 days

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:www.heise.de
Issuer:R11
Valid Until:10/19/2025 (43 days)
SANs:www.heise.de

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

70/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

Domain Transfer Lock Not Enabled

MEDIUM

Domain can be transferred without authorization

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Protection Level
none
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • No domain protection locks enabled

DNS Records

A Records:193.99.144.80
AAAA Records:2a02:2e0:3fe:1001:302::
Name Servers:
ns.heise.deDNS only
ns.plusline.de
ns.pop-hannover.de
ns.s.plusline.de
ns2.pop-hannover.net
MX Records:
20: mx02.hornetsecurity.com
30: mx03.hornetsecurity.com
40: mx04.hornetsecurity.com
10: mx01.hornetsecurity.com
SOA:Serial: 2025090424, TTL: 86400s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:216ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 ip4:193.99.144.0/24 ip4:193.99.145.0/24 ip6:2a02:2e0:3fe:1001::/64 ip6:2a00:e68:14:800::/64 ip4:193.100.232.56 ip6:2a00:e68:14:801:bad::beef include:spf.dynect.net include:_spfdiv.heise.de include:spf.dsb.net include:spf.hornetsecurity.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 the InterRed CMS platform, utilizing modern JavaScript frameworks and third-party services for analytics, consent management, and content delivery. Image optimization is handled via cloudimg.io, and podcasts are integrated using Podigee. The site is responsive and optimized for mobile devices, with good SEO practices including meta tags and structured data (JSON-LD). Performance is fast with asynchronous script loading and prefetching. Technical risks are minimal, but continuous updates and monitoring of third-party scripts are recommended to maintain security and performance.
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