Skip to main content

Is independent.ie a Scam? Security Check Results - Irish Independent

independent.ie Security Report Summary

independent.ie received a security score of 65 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers Irish Independent's website security posture. Irish Independent operates in the Media industry in Ireland.

Irish Independent is a prominent Irish news media organization providing comprehensive coverage of politics, sports, business, lifestyle, and entertainment. The website targets a broad audience interested in Irish current affairs and operates a media publishing business model supported by advertising and subscription services. The site demonstrates a consistent and professional brand presence with high-quality content and a well-structured user experience. Technically, the website employs a modern JavaScript-based infrastructure with integrations for video playback, advertising, and consent management. While the site uses HTTPS and several advanced technologies, some legacy components such as an outdated jQuery version are present. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses consent management tools to comply with privacy regulations. However, explicit privacy and cookie policies were not found in the provided content, indicating room for improvement in privacy compliance. Security headers are partially implemented, and no critical vulnerabilities were detected. Overall, the website is trustworthy and professionally maintained, but the absence of WHOIS data and explicit privacy documentation slightly reduce the confidence level. Strategic improvements in privacy transparency and updating legacy libraries would enhance the security and compliance posture.

The security scan identified 28 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: JavaScript, JSON-LD, Prebid.js, Google Publisher Tags (GPT), Didomi Consent Management, Agnoplay video player, jQuery 1.10.1.

About this security scan

Guard performs automated security assessments of websites by analyzing SSL/TLS certificates, HTTP security headers, DNS configuration, email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), GDPR compliance indicators, NIS2 directive compliance, network exposure, and AI-powered business intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

independent.ie favicon

Is independent.ie Safe? Security Analysis for Irish Independent

https://independent.ie

Check if independent.ie is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

MediaIrelandlarge
JavaScriptJSON-LDPrebid.jsGoogle Publisher Tags (GPT)Didomi Consent Management+2 more
Analyzed 10/9/2025Completed 6:08:00 PM5mo ago
65
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Above Media avg (58)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

Security teams trust us

EveryPay

Secure checkout

Instant

Reports delivered

Professional PDF & Marketing Data

Get the professional PDF report for independent.ie

Export this security analysis as a professional PDF document, receive it via email, and access marketing intelligence data including contact emails and phone numbers. One-time purchase for lifetime access.

PDF Report & Export

PDF download, email delivery, unlock code

39.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Marketing Intelligence

Contact emails, phone numbers & warm leads

49.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domainindependent.ie
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

Secure payments processed via EveryPay. Prices in EUR; Incl. 21% VAT.

SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

AI Summary

Irish Independent is a prominent Irish news media organization providing comprehensive coverage of politics, sports, business, lifestyle, and entertainment. The website targets a broad audience interested in Irish current affairs and operates a media publishing business model supported by advertising and subscription services. The site demonstrates a consistent and professional brand presence with high-quality content and a well-structured user experience. Technically, the website employs a modern JavaScript-based infrastructure with integrations for video playback, advertising, and consent management. While the site uses HTTPS and several advanced technologies, some legacy components such as an outdated jQuery version are present. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses consent management tools to comply with privacy regulations. However, explicit privacy and cookie policies were not found in the provided content, indicating room for improvement in privacy compliance. Security headers are partially implemented, and no critical vulnerabilities were detected. Overall, the website is trustworthy and professionally maintained, but the absence of WHOIS data and explicit privacy documentation slightly reduce the confidence level. Strategic improvements in privacy transparency and updating legacy libraries would enhance the security and compliance posture.

Detected Technologies

JavaScriptJSON-LDPrebid.jsGoogle Publisher Tags (GPT)Didomi Consent ManagementAgnoplay video playerjQuery 1.10.1

10 urgent findings need attention

10 high

  • + 2 more findings in the full report below
Continuous monitoring

Keep independent.ie under constant watch

Guard tracks your live infrastructure daily: certificate expiry, DNS & mail authentication drift, uptime changes, subdomain inventory, and unexpected tracker or content shifts. A full timeline captures every diff so you can prove remediation and spot regressions instantly.

Security drift alerts

Risk score drops, new high-severity issues, and header hardening gaps

Compliance watch

GDPR / NIS2 posture changes with governance evidence snapshots

Infrastructure surface

Unexpected open services, SSL expiry, DNS & email authentication changes

Content & tracker intelligence

Marketing tech shifts, analytics drift, and AI recommendation updates

25 €
per month · billed securely via EveryPay
Less than 1 € / day — cheaper than a single incident response hour

Cancel anytime. Alerts sent to the contacts you choose. Unlock the full report to view historical timelines and alerts.

Purchase to access the monitoring timeline, JSON diffs, alert history, and PDF export for independent.ie.

Security Headers

7 findings

25/100

GDPR Compliance

1 finding

85/100

NIS2 Compliance

8 findings

17/100

Email Security

2 findings

87/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Irish Independent holds a strong market position as a leading Irish news outlet with a large audience base. Its competitive advantage lies in award-winning journalism and comprehensive coverage across multiple news sectors. The business model relies on advertising revenue supplemented by subscription services. The company targets general news consumers in Ireland and possibly the Irish diaspora. Partnerships with major ad networks and media platforms support its monetization strategy. Growth indicators include extensive digital presence and integration of advanced advertising technologies. The company appears to operate independently without clear parent or subsidiary relationships disclosed in the content.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The security posture of the website is solid with HTTPS enforced and use of consent management frameworks like Didomi. Security best practices such as asynchronous script loading and absence of exposed sensitive data are observed. However, the lack of explicit security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosures indicates limited transparency in security governance. The presence of outdated third-party libraries like jQuery 1.10.1 could pose potential risks if not regularly patched. No signs of active WAF or blocking mechanisms were detected, and no vulnerabilities were evident in the analyzed content. Compliance with GDPR is implied but not fully documented on the site.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a comprehensive and easily accessible privacy policy and cookie policy to improve transparency and GDPR compliance.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Irish Independent

Description:

Read the latest news headlines and analysis about politics, sports, business, lifestyle and entertainment from award-winning Irish Journalists.

Key Services:
News publishingPolitical analysisSports coverageBusiness newsLifestyle and entertainment content
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
JavaScriptJSON-LDPrebid.jsGoogle Publisher Tags (GPT)Didomi Consent ManagementAgnoplay video playerjQuery 1.10.1
Frameworks:
OnePlatform (custom media platform)
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Consent management via Didomi
  • Use of async and defer for scripts
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google Analytics (implied by Google scripts)Datadog
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
360yieldTaboolaSmart AdServerCriteoAppNexus (adnxs.com)PubMaticRubicon ProjectGoogle Ad Manager (DoubleClick)
Tracking Pixels:
Google Funding ChoicesDatadog logging
Marketing Tools:
Prebid.jsDidomi Consent Management
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is a professional Irish news media outlet with extensive content and advertising integration.

Get this report delivered to your inbox

Receive a summary of the independent.ie security findings by email. Quick and easy to share with decision makers.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

25/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-Frame-Options header

HIGH

Prevents clickjacking attacks

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)

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

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
emailphone

🛡️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

Need this report as a PDF?

Download the complete independent.ie security analysis as a professional PDF. Share it with your team, clients, or stakeholders.

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

87/100
Score

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 ip4:83.71.187.233 ip4:89.101.141.135 ip4:83.71.187.253 ip4:89.101.157.129 ip4:5.61.115.80/26 include:rlyhosts.be include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:mailgun.org -all
DNS Lookups:3/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:selector1(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:email(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:13dbc9fb@inbox.ondmarc.com
Forensic Reports:13dbc9fb@inbox.ondmarc.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

57/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 67 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.2TLSv1.3TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Enabled

📊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

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

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

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
24 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(expired)
Protection Level
noneDNSSEC OFF
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • No domain protection locks enabled

DNS Records

A Records:172.64.155.76, 104.18.32.180
Name Servers:
elliot.ns.cloudflare.com
erin.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
0: independent-ie.mail.protection.outlook.com
SOA:Serial: 2385449492, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:57ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 ip4:83.71.187.233 ip4:89.101.141.135 ip4:83.71.187.253 ip4:89.101.157.129 ip4:5.61.115.80/26 include:rlyhosts.be include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:mailgun.org -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

How does independent.ie compare?

See how independent.ie stacks up against similar websites in the same industry.

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website uses a custom media platform (OnePlatform) with integrations for video playback (Agnoplay), advertising (Prebid.js, Google Publisher Tags), and consent management (Didomi). The tech stack includes JavaScript frameworks and libraries, with some legacy components like jQuery 1.10.1. Performance is moderate with good mobile responsiveness and SEO optimization. Accessibility features are basic but present. Hosting and CMS details are not explicitly identified. The site uses multiple external ad and tracking domains, indicating a complex advertising ecosystem. Opportunities exist to modernize the tech stack and improve performance and security through updates and enhanced header configurations.
Professional PDF & Marketing Data

Download the independent.ie report as PDF

Get the complete analysis in a shareable PDF format, delivered instantly to your email with lifetime access.

PDF Report & Export

PDF download, email delivery, unlock code

39.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Marketing Intelligence

Contact emails, phone numbers & warm leads

49.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domainindependent.ie
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

Secure payments processed via EveryPay. Prices in EUR; Incl. 21% VAT.

SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

Scan your own website

Liked the independent.ie report? Run the same comprehensive security analysis on your domain — free, instant, and no sign-up required.

Or browse our directory of >10,000 scanned websites.

⭐ Verified Community Reviews

What others say about independent.ie

Share your experience to help others make informed decisions. We verify every review by email and publish it once our moderation team approves it.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

out of 5

0 reviews published

Loading reviews…

How did we do?

Your feedback directly shapes our roadmap. Rate the quality of this report, leave an optional comment, and let us know if you want our security specialists to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.

Analyze Another Website