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Is ow.ly a Scam? Security Check Results - Hootsuite Inc. Reviews

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Is ow.ly Safe? Security Analysis for Hootsuite Inc.

Check if ow.ly is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

TechnologyCanadalarge
ReactNext.jsGoogle Tag ManagerFullStoryImpact Affiliate+2 more
Analyzed 9/7/2025Completed 2:19:26 PM
74
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Hootsuite Inc. is a well-established Canadian technology company specializing in social media management solutions, including the Ow.ly link shortener service. The company targets businesses and social media professionals, offering SaaS products that enable URL shortening, link tracking, and comprehensive social media management. Hootsuite holds a strong market position as a leading platform in its sector, supported by certifications such as SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, which demonstrate its commitment to security and compliance. Technically, the website leverages modern web technologies including React and Next.js, with integrations for analytics and marketing tools such as Google Tag Manager, FullStory, and Impact Affiliate. The site is well-optimized for performance, mobile responsiveness, and accessibility, providing an excellent user experience. Security best practices are observed with HTTPS enforcement, robust security headers, and no detected vulnerabilities. Privacy compliance is robust, featuring comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with active consent mechanisms, aligning with GDPR requirements. Contact information is clearly provided, including dedicated privacy and support email addresses. However, the WHOIS data for the domain is unavailable, which limits transparency regarding domain registration details, though the overall trustworthiness of the site remains high based on other indicators. Overall, Hootsuite's website demonstrates a mature digital presence with strong security and privacy postures, making it a trustworthy platform for its users. Strategic recommendations include publishing a dedicated security policy and vulnerability disclosure to further enhance transparency and incident response readiness.

Detected Technologies

ReactNext.jsGoogle Tag ManagerFullStoryImpact AffiliateQualifiedCryptoJS

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Hootsuite operates in the technology sector, focusing on social media management and digital marketing tools. Its business model is SaaS-based, generating revenue through subscription services targeting enterprises and social media managers. The company benefits from a strong brand and market leadership, supported by a comprehensive ecosystem of marketing and analytics integrations. Growth indicators include extensive use of tracking and affiliate marketing tools, and a broad international audience evidenced by multilingual site versions. Partnerships with analytics and affiliate platforms enhance its marketing reach. The company maintains a professional online presence with clear business information and trust signals, positioning it well against competitors in the social media management space.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Email Addresses (3)

p*****@hootsuite.com
s*****@hootsuite.com
s*****@hootsuite.com

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website exhibits a high security maturity level with HTTPS enforced and multiple security headers implemented, including Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. Privacy compliance is strong, with GDPR-aligned policies and cookie consent mechanisms. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy or incident response contact reduces transparency in security governance. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file was found, which could be improved to encourage responsible reporting. Overall, the security posture is robust, minimizing risk exposure and supporting user trust.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and governance.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Hootsuite Inc.

Description:

Shorten URLs, track performance, and create custom vanity links with Ow.ly. Try it for free today!

Key Services:
URL shorteningLink tracking and analyticsSocial media management
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
ReactNext.jsGoogle Tag ManagerFullStoryImpact AffiliateQualifiedCryptoJS
Frameworks:
Next.js
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Security headers implemented
  • No exposed sensitive data detected
  • Use of secure libraries
  • Consent management for cookies

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google Analytics (via GTM)FullStory
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Impact
Tracking Pixels:
FullStoryG2 Tracking
Marketing Tools:
Qualified
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 challenges.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

70/100
Score

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

Weak Referrer-Policy configuration

LOW

Current value: "no-referrer-when-downgrade"

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

88/100
Score

Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant

MEDIUM

Privacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements

GDPR Compliance Analysis

Privacy Policy85% confidence
Cookie Policy85% 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

72/100
Score

No DKIM record found

MEDIUM

DKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails

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 mx ip4:62.13.150.16 ip4:174.36.80.216 ip4:174.36.80.219 ip4:208.117.56.91 ip4:149.72.143.250 ip4:74.63.202.208 ip4:198.2.187.243 ip4:198.37.159.181 ip4:167.89.63.49 ip4:168.245.23.173 ip4:185.25.32.0/22 include:_spf.google.com include:spf1.hootsuite.com ~all
DNS Lookups:3/10
Policy:~all
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:dmarc-rua@hootsuite.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

72/100
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 74 days

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 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:108.156.22.92, 108.156.22.2, 108.156.22.7, 108.156.22.16
Name Servers:
ns-1154.awsdns-16.orgDNS only
ns-1546.awsdns-01.co.ukDNS only
ns-492.awsdns-61.comDNS only
ns-877.awsdns-45.netDNS only
MX Records:
10: aspmx.l.google.com
20: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
30: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
40: aspmx2.googlemail.com
50: aspmx3.googlemail.com

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 mx ip4:62.13.150.16 ip4:174.36.80.216 ip4:174.36.80.219 ip4:208.117.56.91 ip4:149.72.143.250 ip4:74.63.202.208 ip4:198.2.187.243 ip4:198.37.159.181 ip4:167.89.63.49 ip4:168.245.23.173 ip4:185.25.32.0/22 include:_spf.google.com include:spf1.hootsuite.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 on a modern technology stack featuring React and Next.js, enabling server-side rendering and fast performance. Integration with multiple analytics and marketing tools indicates a mature digital marketing infrastructure. The site is well-optimized for mobile devices and accessibility standards, contributing to excellent user experience. No CMS was explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or headless approach. Hosting provider details were not identified from the data. Performance is fast, with proper use of meta tags and SEO best practices. Technical risks are minimal, though ongoing maintenance of third-party scripts is recommended to avoid future vulnerabilities.
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