Is macleans.ca Safe? Security Analysis for Maclean's Inc.
Check if macleans.ca is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
Maclean's Inc. operates Macleans.ca, a leading Canadian news magazine website offering comprehensive coverage of politics, culture, education, and society. The company holds a strong market position as a trusted media brand in Canada, with a business model centered on subscriptions and advertising revenue. The website targets a broad Canadian audience interested in current affairs and lifestyle content. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including Next.js and React, hosted via Hetzner Online GmbH with Cloudflare DNS services, ensuring reliable performance and moderate loading speeds. The site is mobile optimized and SEO friendly, with structured data enhancing search visibility. Security posture is solid with HTTPS, security headers, and cookie consent mechanisms, though DNSSEC is not enabled and no explicit security policy or vulnerability disclosure is published. Advertising is transparent and consent-based, using major ad networks and tracking pixels. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and compliant with privacy regulations, reflecting a mature digital presence for a major media company.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
Maclean's maintains a strong foothold in the Canadian media sector, backed by its parent company 1772887 ONTARIO LIMITED and St. Joseph Communications. Its revenue streams include digital subscriptions, advertising, and sponsored content. The company benefits from partnerships with CanadianMags.ca for magazine sales and other media brands under the parent company. The content strategy focuses on in-depth journalism, educational guides, and cultural reporting, appealing to a diverse demographic. The website's integration of modern marketing and analytics tools indicates a data-driven approach to audience engagement and monetization. The brand's longevity since 2000 and consistent domain registration reinforce its market credibility.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website demonstrates a good security baseline with enforced HTTPS, presence of key security headers, and use of a consent management platform for cookies. However, the absence of DNSSEC and a publicly available security policy or incident response contact are gaps that could be addressed to enhance trust and resilience. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analysis. The site does not currently publish a vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file, which is recommended for transparency. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a media website but could be improved with additional DNS and policy measures.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Enable DNSSEC on the domain to protect against DNS spoofing and improve DNS security.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Maclean's Inc.
Canada’s magazine
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
basic
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- No DNSSEC enabled
- Use of Cloudflare DNS for resilience
- Cookie consent management implemented
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is a professional Canadian news magazine with extensive content.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing X-XSS-Protection header
MEDIUMLegacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)
Weak Referrer-Policy configuration
LOWCurrent value: "no-referrer-when-downgrade"
Missing Permissions-Policy header
MEDIUMControls browser features and APIs
👤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 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
SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days
MEDIUMSSL certificate expires in 69 days
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
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