Is floss.social Safe? Security Analysis for FLOSS.social
Check if floss.social is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
FLOSS.social is a niche Mastodon instance launched in 2018, dedicated to the Free, Libre, and Open Source Software (FLOSS) community. It provides a decentralized social media platform that encourages open discussion primarily in English, supported by a clear community code of conduct and a supporter program via Liberapay. The platform is hosted on infrastructure provided by Masto.Host, OVH, BunnyCDN, and SparkPost, and uses a customized TangerineUI interface. The website is professionally designed, well-structured, and offers a positive user experience with good mobile optimization and accessibility. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including Mastodon software, React, and JavaScript frameworks. Hosting and content delivery are managed by reputable providers, ensuring moderate to good performance. However, some improvements could be made in privacy compliance, such as implementing a cookie consent mechanism and publishing a formal security policy. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enabled and no visible vulnerabilities, but security headers could be enhanced and a vulnerability disclosure policy added. Overall, FLOSS.social demonstrates a mature security posture for a community-driven platform, with clear moderation and enforcement policies. The domain WHOIS data is privacy protected, which is typical and justified for this type of service. No suspicious or malicious indicators were found. Strategic recommendations include enhancing privacy compliance, publishing security documentation, and improving security headers to further strengthen trust and compliance. This analysis concludes that FLOSS.social is a trustworthy, well-managed community platform with a strong focus on FLOSS values and user safety, suitable for its target audience and aligned with best practices in security and privacy.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
FLOSS.social occupies a specialized market niche as a Mastodon instance focused on the FLOSS community, leveraging the growing interest in decentralized social media. Its business model is community-supported, relying on donations through Liberapay, which aligns with its open-source ethos. The platform benefits from partnerships with established infrastructure providers, enhancing reliability and scalability. The clear community code of conduct and active moderation contribute to a safe and welcoming environment, which is a competitive advantage in the social media space. Growth potential exists through expanding community engagement and possibly integrating additional FLOSS-related services. The absence of commercial advertising and emphasis on privacy and open communication further differentiate FLOSS.social from mainstream social networks.
Extracted Contact Information
Marketing Intelligence Data
Email Addresses (1)
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
FLOSS.social exhibits a solid security posture with mandatory HTTPS, no exposed sensitive data, and active community moderation backed by a comprehensive code of conduct. However, the absence of explicit security policies, incident response plans, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms indicates room for improvement in formal security governance. The lack of advanced security headers suggests potential enhancements to mitigate risks such as clickjacking or content injection. Privacy compliance is generally good, but the missing cookie consent mechanism is a notable gap. Overall, the platform balances openness with safety effectively but should formalize and publicize its security practices to meet higher compliance standards and user expectations.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Implement a visible cookie consent banner to comply with privacy regulations and enhance user trust.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
FLOSS.social
FLOSS.social is a Mastodon server launched on 1 April 2018 for people who care about, support, or build Free, Libre, and Open Source Software (FLOSS). It encourages community discussions beyond just FLOSS and recommends posting in English for broader engagement. The service is maintained with infrastructure from Masto.Host, OVH, BunnyCDN, and SparkPost, and uses a modified TangerineUI for Mastodon.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
good
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enabled
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Use of community moderation and code of conduct
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is a Mastodon instance focused on FLOSS community.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Weak X-XSS-Protection configuration
LOWCurrent value: "0"
Weak Referrer-Policy configuration
LOWCurrent value: "same-origin"
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
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
No DKIM record found
MEDIUMDKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails
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
DMARC Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days
MEDIUMSSL certificate expires in 32 days
Weak SSL Key Length
HIGHSSL certificate uses 384-bit key, which is considered weak
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Certificate Details
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
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