Is longreads.com Safe? Security Analysis for Longreads
Check if longreads.com is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
Longreads is a well-established media company specializing in curating and publishing high-quality nonfiction longform storytelling since 2011. The website serves a dedicated audience interested in in-depth journalism and essays, supported by reader memberships and donations. The platform is built on WordPress with the Newspack theme, leveraging modern web technologies and integrations such as Google Analytics and WooCommerce for monetization. Hosting and domain management are handled by Automattic, ensuring reliable infrastructure. The site demonstrates strong digital maturity with excellent design, mobile optimization, and SEO practices. Privacy and cookie policies are comprehensive and GDPR compliant, with a clear consent mechanism in place. Security posture is robust with HTTPS, domain locks, and reCAPTCHA protections, though DNSSEC is not enabled. No critical vulnerabilities or suspicious patterns were detected, and the domain registration details align well with the business profile.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
Longreads occupies a niche media market focused on longform nonfiction storytelling, differentiating itself through curated content and original writing. Its business model relies on reader support via memberships and donations, supplemented by advertising through Google AdSense. The company benefits from a strong partnership with Automattic, which provides hosting and technical support. The target audience is readers seeking quality journalism and storytelling, with a loyal subscriber base evidenced by newsletter signups and social media engagement. The website's content strategy and user engagement tools position it well for sustainable growth in the digital media landscape.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, domain registration protections, and use of Google reCAPTCHA to mitigate automated abuse. Cookie consent is granular and compliant with GDPR standards. However, the absence of DNSSEC is a minor gap in DNS security. No public security policy or incident response contacts are provided, which could be improved to enhance transparency and readiness. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. Overall, the site follows best practices appropriate for a media publishing platform.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Enable DNSSEC on the domain to strengthen DNS security and prevent spoofing.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Longreads
Longreads is a media company sharing the best nonfiction storytelling on the web since 2011, curating and publishing longform writing.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
fast
excellent
good
excellent
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- Use of Google reCAPTCHA on forms
- Cookie consent banner with granular categories
- No exposed sensitive data detected
- Use of reputable registrar with domain lock statuses
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website uses WordPress with Newspack theme optimized for media publishing.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
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
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 Consent Banner found
HIGHGDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies
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
Critical sector without clear security compliance
HIGHDetected sectors: energy, transport, banking, health, digital
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
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
DKIM Selectors Found
DMARC Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
Weak Protocols Supported
HIGHServer supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1
OCSP Stapling Not Enabled
LOWOCSP stapling improves performance and privacy
Certificate Transparency Not Implemented
LOWCertificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs
SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days
MEDIUMSSL certificate expires in 30 days
Weak SSL Key Length
HIGHSSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak
Mixed Content Detected
MEDIUM4 resources loaded over insecure HTTP
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Protocol Support
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 Registration Details
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