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Is patch.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Patch

patch.com Security Report Summary

patch.com received a security score of 72 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers Patch's website security posture. Patch operates in the Media industry in United States.

Patch.com is a well-established hyperlocal news platform providing breaking news, events, and community discussions for approximately 30,000 U.S. communities. The website targets local residents seeking timely and relevant information about their towns and neighborhoods. Its business model is primarily advertising-supported, leveraging partnerships with major ad networks and tracking services to monetize content. The site demonstrates a consistent brand presence with professional content authored by verified staff members. Technically, Patch.com employs modern web technologies including React with Next.js, AWS hosting, and various ad and analytics integrations. The site is mobile-optimized and offers a good user experience with clear navigation and relevant content. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and standard security headers, though DNSSEC is not enabled. Privacy compliance is partial, with a cookie consent mechanism present but no explicit privacy policy or terms of service pages detected in the analyzed content. Overall, Patch.com is a credible and professional media site with room for improvement in privacy transparency and DNS security.

The security scan identified 27 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: React (Next.js), Amazon Ads System, Google Analytics, OneTrust Cookie Consent, Prebid.js (header bidding), AWS DNS (Amazon Route 53), Cloudfront CDN.

About this security scan

Guard performs automated security assessments of websites by analyzing SSL/TLS certificates, HTTP security headers, DNS configuration, email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), GDPR compliance indicators, NIS2 directive compliance, network exposure, and AI-powered business intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

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MediaUnited Stateslarge
React (Next.js)Amazon Ads SystemGoogle AnalyticsOneTrust Cookie ConsentPrebid.js (header bidding)+2 more
Analyzed 7/7/2025Completed 11:05:29 AM8mo ago
72
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Above Media avg (58)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

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AI Summary

Patch.com is a well-established hyperlocal news platform providing breaking news, events, and community discussions for approximately 30,000 U.S. communities. The website targets local residents seeking timely and relevant information about their towns and neighborhoods. Its business model is primarily advertising-supported, leveraging partnerships with major ad networks and tracking services to monetize content. The site demonstrates a consistent brand presence with professional content authored by verified staff members. Technically, Patch.com employs modern web technologies including React with Next.js, AWS hosting, and various ad and analytics integrations. The site is mobile-optimized and offers a good user experience with clear navigation and relevant content. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and standard security headers, though DNSSEC is not enabled. Privacy compliance is partial, with a cookie consent mechanism present but no explicit privacy policy or terms of service pages detected in the analyzed content. Overall, Patch.com is a credible and professional media site with room for improvement in privacy transparency and DNS security.

Detected Technologies

React (Next.js)Amazon Ads SystemGoogle AnalyticsOneTrust Cookie ConsentPrebid.js (header bidding)AWS DNS (Amazon Route 53)Cloudfront CDN

7 urgent findings need attention

7 high

Continuous monitoring

Keep patch.com under constant watch

Guard tracks your live infrastructure daily: certificate expiry, DNS & mail authentication drift, uptime changes, subdomain inventory, and unexpected tracker or content shifts. A full timeline captures every diff so you can prove remediation and spot regressions instantly.

Security drift alerts

Risk score drops, new high-severity issues, and header hardening gaps

Compliance watch

GDPR / NIS2 posture changes with governance evidence snapshots

Infrastructure surface

Unexpected open services, SSL expiry, DNS & email authentication changes

Content & tracker intelligence

Marketing tech shifts, analytics drift, and AI recommendation updates

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Security Headers

5 findings

60/100

GDPR Compliance

2 findings

80/100

NIS2 Compliance

8 findings

17/100

Email Security

3 findings

85/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Patch holds a strong market position as a leading local news network in the United States, serving a broad audience across many communities. Its competitive advantage lies in hyperlocal content and community engagement features, supported by a large team of local journalists. Revenue streams are primarily from advertising, including programmatic ads and direct local business advertising. The platform integrates with multiple ad networks and tracking services to optimize monetization. Patch's partnership ecosystem includes advertising technology providers like Amazon Ads, Google DoubleClick, and Aditude. Growth indicators include extensive community coverage and continuous content updates. Strategic observations suggest that enhancing privacy policy transparency and expanding direct contact options could improve user trust and compliance.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

Patch.com exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and clientTransferProhibited domain status to prevent unauthorized transfers. The use of multiple security headers is implied though not explicitly confirmed in the provided data. The absence of DNSSEC is a minor gap in DNS security. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. The site uses secure forms for user subscriptions but lacks published security policies or incident response contacts. Compliance with GDPR is partial, indicated by cookie consent but missing privacy policy details. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be enhanced by publishing formal security and incident response documentation and enabling DNSSEC.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a comprehensive privacy policy and terms of service pages prominently linked on the website.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Patch

Description:

Patch is a network of local news sites providing breaking news, stories, and events for approximately 30,000 U.S. communities.

Key Services:
Local news reportingCommunity event listingsLocal discussionsAdvertising opportunities for local businesses
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
React (Next.js)Amazon Ads SystemGoogle AnalyticsOneTrust Cookie ConsentPrebid.js (header bidding)AWS DNS (Amazon Route 53)Cloudfront CDN
Frameworks:
Next.js
Platforms:
AWSCloudfront CDN
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
80/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Client transfer prohibited domain status
  • Use of cookie consent mechanism

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsChartbeatScorecard ResearchRaven
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Amazon AdsGoogle DoubleClickAdLightningAditude
Tracking Pixels:
Scorecard ResearchChartbeatRaven
Marketing Tools:
OneTrust Cookie Consent
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 a large-scale local news platform with extensive community coverage.

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

60/100
Score

Weak Strict-Transport-Security configuration

LOW

Current value: "max-age=15552000; includeSubDomains"

Missing Content-Security-Policy header

HIGH

Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

Weak X-XSS-Protection configuration

LOW

Current value: "0"

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

80/100
Score

No Cookie Policy found

HIGH

GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

No Data Protection Officer mentioned

LOW

Large organizations may need to designate a DPO under GDPR

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

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

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📧Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

85/100
Score

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 a mx include:aspmx.sailthru.com include:_spf.google.com include:mail.zendesk.com ~all
DNS Lookups:5/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Subdomain Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:re+u9srkn6n0s5@inbound.dmarcdigests.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 89 days

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

80/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
31 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(706 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:151.101.66.133, 151.101.130.133, 151.101.194.133, 151.101.2.133
Name Servers:
ns-1124.awsdns-12.org
ns-157.awsdns-19.com
ns-1931.awsdns-49.co.uk
ns-815.awsdns-37.net
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 1, TTL: 86400s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:42ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 a mx include:aspmx.sailthru.com include:_spf.google.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

How does patch.com compare?

See how patch.com stacks up against similar websites in the same industry.

🔧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 React-based framework (Next.js) hosted on AWS with Cloudfront CDN, ensuring scalability and performance. It integrates multiple advertising and analytics technologies including Amazon Ads, Google Analytics, Chartbeat, and header bidding via Prebid.js. The site is mobile-optimized and uses web fonts and SVG icons for visual consistency. Performance is moderate with deferred and async script loading. Technical debt appears low, but improvements in SEO metadata completeness and accessibility could be made. The absence of a known CMS suggests a custom or proprietary content management system. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports a large-scale media operation effectively.
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Marketing Intelligence

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49.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domainpatch.com
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

Secure payments processed via EveryPay. Prices in EUR; Incl. 21% VAT.

SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

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