Skip to main content

Is intensedebate.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Automattic Inc. Reviews

intensedebate.com favicon

Is intensedebate.com Safe? Security Analysis for Automattic Inc.

Check if intensedebate.com is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

TechnologyUnited Statesmedium
JavaScriptCSSHTML5Akismet spam filterFacebook Connect+2 more
Analyzed 9/6/2025Completed 9:37:37 PM
62
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

IntenseDebate is a feature-rich commenting system designed to enhance user engagement on blogs and websites, supporting platforms such as WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger. Owned by Automattic Inc., the service offers threaded comments, social media login integration, email notifications, and spam filtering via Akismet. The website presents a professional and consistent brand image aligned with its parent company, targeting bloggers and website owners seeking to improve community interaction. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including JavaScript and CSS, integrates with social platforms, and is hosted under Automattic's infrastructure with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and domain protections in place, though there is room for improvement in DNSSEC and explicit security policies. Privacy compliance is strong, referencing comprehensive policies hosted on Automattic's domain, and cookie consent mechanisms are implemented. Overall, the site is trustworthy, safe, and well-positioned within its niche.

Detected Technologies

JavaScriptCSSHTML5Akismet spam filterFacebook ConnectTwitter Sign-InGravatar integration

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The business operates within the technology sector, focusing on SaaS solutions for comment management and community engagement. Its market position is supported by integration with major blogging platforms and social media, leveraging Automattic's brand and infrastructure. Revenue likely derives from service subscriptions or platform integrations. The target audience includes bloggers, website owners, and online communities seeking enhanced commenting features. The partnership ecosystem includes Akismet for spam filtering and social media platforms for login capabilities. The company demonstrates stable growth indicators with a domain age of over 17 years and consistent branding. Strategic observations suggest opportunities to expand security transparency and incident response readiness to further strengthen market trust.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and domain status flags preventing unauthorized changes. Use of Akismet for spam filtering and reply-by-email moderation reduces exposure to spam and abuse. However, the absence of DNSSEC and explicit security policies or incident response contacts indicates gaps in security transparency. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Privacy compliance is well addressed through comprehensive policies and cookie consent mechanisms. The security culture appears aligned with industry best practices but could benefit from publishing a security.txt file and formal incident response procedures to enhance trust and readiness.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC on the domain to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Automattic Inc.

Description:

IntenseDebate is a feature-rich comment system for WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger and many other website platforms that enhances and encourages conversation on blogs or websites.

Key Services:
Comment threadingEmail notificationsReply-by-email moderationUser profiles and reputation scoresSocial login (Facebook, Twitter)Spam filtering with AkismetMultiple admin management
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
JavaScriptCSSHTML5Akismet spam filterFacebook ConnectTwitter Sign-InGravatar integration
Platforms:
WordPressTumblrBlogger
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
80/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • ClientDelete/Transfer/Update prohibited domain status
  • Use of Akismet for spam filtering
  • Reply-by-email moderation to reduce web interface exposure

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
a8c-analytics
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
a8c-analytics
Marketing Tools:
a8c-analytics
Transparency Level:basic

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenges.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

30/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-Content-Type-Options header

MEDIUM

Prevents MIME type sniffing

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

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

70/100
Score

No DKIM record found

MEDIUM

DKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails

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 include:_spf.automattic.com include:mail.zendesk.com -all
DNS Lookups:2/10
Policy:-all
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:0bqp2jnw@ag.dmarcian.com
Forensic Reports:0bqp2jnw@fr.dmarcian.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

52/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

OCSP Stapling Not Enabled

LOW

OCSP stapling improves performance and privacy

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 46 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

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

90/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
19 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(140 days)
Protection Level
strongDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:192.0.123.246, 192.0.123.247
Name Servers:
ns1.automattic.com
ns2.automattic.com
ns3.automattic.com
MX Records:
10: mx1.dfw.automattic.com
10: mx2.ams.automattic.com
SOA:Serial: 2022042004, TTL: 300s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:228ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.automattic.com include:mail.zendesk.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 using standard web technologies including HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, with integrations for social login (Facebook, Twitter) and spam filtering (Akismet). It supports multiple blogging platforms and is hosted by Automattic, leveraging their DNS and infrastructure. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. The site uses analytics scripts for user behavior tracking with privacy compliance mechanisms in place. Technical debt appears low, but opportunities exist to modernize security headers and improve accessibility. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports the business goals effectively with room for incremental improvements.
Analyze Another Website