Is focus.de Safe? Security Analysis for BurdaForward GmbH
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AI Summary
FOCUS online is a prominent German news portal operated by BurdaForward GmbH, a subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media. The site delivers timely news and analyses across politics, economy, sports, and society, targeting a broad general audience. It offers both free content and subscription-based premium content under the FOCUS+ brand. The website is well-positioned in the German media market with a strong brand and extensive content offerings. Technically, the site employs a modern web stack including React-based SPA architecture, Auth0 for authentication, Sourcepoint for GDPR-compliant consent management, and Tealium for tag management and analytics. Hosting and CDN services are provided by Akamai, ensuring fast and reliable content delivery. The site is mobile-optimized and SEO-friendly, with structured data enhancing search engine visibility. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses modern authentication and consent frameworks. However, it lacks visible security headers and publicly available security policies or incident response contacts. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the provided content. Privacy compliance is supported by a consent management platform, though explicit privacy and cookie policy pages were not found in the analyzed content. Overall, FOCUS online demonstrates a mature digital presence with strong business credibility and technical implementation. Strategic improvements in security transparency and policy disclosures would further enhance trust and compliance.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
FOCUS online operates as a leading digital news media outlet in Germany, leveraging a hybrid business model of advertising revenue and subscription services. Its competitive advantage lies in its brand recognition, comprehensive news coverage, and integration of multimedia content. The company targets a wide demographic interested in current affairs and lifestyle topics. Partnerships with financial services and price comparison platforms diversify revenue streams. The parent company, Hubert Burda Media, provides strong backing and resources, supporting growth and market presence. The site’s ecosystem includes multiple partner domains and a sophisticated advertising and tracking infrastructure, indicating a mature digital marketing strategy.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website exhibits a solid security posture with enforced HTTPS, modern authentication via Auth0, and GDPR-compliant consent management through Sourcepoint. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were identified. However, the absence of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and lack of publicly disclosed security policies or incident response contacts represent areas for improvement. The site does not publish a vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file, which could enhance transparency and trust. Overall, the security maturity is good but could benefit from enhanced security communication and header implementation.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Implement and publish comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
BurdaForward GmbH
FOCUS online is a German news portal providing up-to-date news and service information from Germany's modern news magazine, covering politics, economy, sports, society, and more.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
fast
excellent
good
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- Use of modern authentication (Auth0)
- Consent management for GDPR compliance
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Secure token storage in localStorage with refresh tokens
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is a professional German news portal with extensive 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
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
EU business without adequate privacy measures
CRITICALEU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements
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
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
Complex SPF record
LOWToo many include statements can cause lookup limits
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
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
Weak SSL Key Length
HIGHSSL certificate uses 256-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
CAA Records Not Configured
LOWCertificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found
Domain Transfer Lock Not Enabled
MEDIUMDomain can be transferred without authorization
Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled
LOWDomain can be deleted without additional verification
No DMARC Record
MEDIUMDMARC policy not configured
Domain Registration Details
- •No domain protection locks enabled
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