Skip to main content

Is medium.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Medium Reviews

M

Is medium.com Safe? Security Analysis for Medium

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

MediaUnited Stateslarge
Google reCAPTCHA EnterpriseBranch.ioBraintree payment gatewayPayPal SDKStripe+3 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 4:03:58 AM
76
Security Score
LOW RISK

AI Summary

Medium is a well-established online publishing platform founded in 1998, offering a space for users to read, write, and share stories and ideas. It operates primarily in the media industry, targeting a general audience with a business model based on content hosting, membership subscriptions, and advertising. The platform enjoys a strong market position as a leading content platform with consistent branding and excellent content quality. Technically, Medium employs a modern tech stack including React, Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise, Branch.io, and multiple payment gateways such as Braintree, PayPal, and Stripe. The site is hosted with Cloudflare DNS and CDN services, ensuring fast performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, security headers, and bot protection, although DNSSEC is not enabled and no explicit security policy or incident response contacts are published. Privacy compliance is robust with comprehensive policies and cookie consent mechanisms. Overall, Medium demonstrates high professionalism, trustworthiness, and technical maturity.

Detected Technologies

Google reCAPTCHA EnterpriseBranch.ioBraintree payment gatewayPayPal SDKStripeCloudflare DNS and CDNGoogle AnalyticsDatadog RUM

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Medium's market positioning as a leading content platform is supported by its long domain history and extensive service offerings including publishing, membership, and advertising. The company leverages partnerships with major payment processors and marketing platforms to enhance user experience and monetization. Its target customers include writers, readers, and content consumers globally. The platform's growth is indicated by its large size and extensive topic coverage. Strategic partnerships with services like Branch.io and Speechify enhance its ecosystem. Medium's business model is diversified across subscription and advertising revenue streams, positioning it well in the competitive digital media landscape.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Email Addresses (1)

p*****@medium.com

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

Medium exhibits a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS, use of Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise to mitigate bots, and Cloudflare DNS/CDN for enhanced security and performance. The site avoids exposing sensitive data and integrates secure payment gateways. However, the absence of DNSSEC and a publicly available security policy or incident response contacts represents areas for improvement. No vulnerabilities or security incidents are evident from the analysis. Privacy policies are comprehensive and GDPR compliant, supporting strong data protection practices. Overall, Medium maintains a secure environment appropriate for its scale and industry.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC to strengthen DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Medium

Description:

On Medium, anyone can share insightful perspectives, useful knowledge, and life wisdom with the world.

Key Services:
Online publishingContent hostingMembership subscriptionAdvertising
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Google reCAPTCHA EnterpriseBranch.ioBraintree payment gatewayPayPal SDKStripeCloudflare DNS and CDNGoogle AnalyticsDatadog RUM
Frameworks:
React
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • Use of HTTPS
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise for bot protection
  • Use of Cloudflare for DNS and CDN
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure payment integrations (Braintree, PayPal, Stripe)

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsDatadog RUM
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Google Ads
Tracking Pixels:
Datadog RUM
Marketing Tools:
Branch.io
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenge.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

70/100
Score

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)

Weak Referrer-Policy configuration

LOW

Current value: "same-origin"

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

58/100
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

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
emailphone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

47/100
Score

No vulnerability disclosure policy

MEDIUM

NIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure

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

80/100
Score

Complex SPF record

LOW

Too many include statements can cause lookup limits

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:amazonses.com include:_spf.google.com include:mail.zendesk.com include:sendgrid.net include:spf.tipalti.com include:_spf.psm.knowbe4.com ~all
DNS Lookups:6/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Subdomain Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:dmarc.rua@medium.com
Forensic Reports:dmarc.rua@medium.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

75/100
Score

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 42 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:medium.com
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:10/17/2025 (42 days)
SANs:medium.com, *.medium.com

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

DNS Records

A Records:162.159.153.4, 162.159.152.4
AAAA Records:2606:4700:7::a29f:9804, 2606:4700:7::a29f:9904
Name Servers:
alina.ns.cloudflare.comDNS only
kip.ns.cloudflare.comDNS only
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
10: aspmx2.googlemail.com
10: aspmx3.googlemail.com
SOA:Serial: 2382491425, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:43ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:amazonses.com include:_spf.google.com include:mail.zendesk.com include:sendgrid.net include:spf.tipalti.com include:_spf.psm.knowbe4.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

Medium's technical infrastructure is robust, leveraging a modern React-based frontend with asynchronous JavaScript loading for performance. The use of Cloudflare DNS and CDN ensures fast content delivery and resilience. Integration with multiple payment gateways (Braintree, PayPal, Stripe) supports diverse monetization options. Google Analytics and Datadog provide comprehensive monitoring and analytics capabilities. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and accessibility considerations. No major technical debt or outdated technologies were detected. Opportunities exist to enhance DNS security and formalize security documentation.
Analyze Another Website