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Is sdtimes.com a Scam? Security Check Results - SD Times Reviews

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Is sdtimes.com Safe? Security Analysis for SD Times

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

TechnologyN/amedium
WordPress 6.8.2jQuery 3.7.1Google Tag ManagerYoast SEO PremiumActiveCampaign subscription forms+5 more
Analyzed 9/6/2025Completed 9:58:12 PM
68
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

SD Times is a well-established media platform founded in 1999, specializing in software development news, analysis, podcasts, and live webinars targeted at software developers and development managers. The site positions itself as a leading source in its niche, providing valuable content to a professional audience. Technically, the website is built on WordPress CMS with a modern tech stack including SEO and analytics tools, and it demonstrates good mobile optimization and SEO practices. Security-wise, the site uses HTTPS and implements cookie consent mechanisms, but lacks explicit security headers and published security policies, indicating room for improvement in security posture. Overall, the site is legitimate, professional, and safe for general audiences, with a moderate to good security and privacy compliance level.

Detected Technologies

WordPress 6.8.2jQuery 3.7.1Google Tag ManagerYoast SEO PremiumActiveCampaign subscription formsMega Menu ProClicky AnalyticsHubSpot AnalyticsGoogle AnalyticsQueryly search

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The business operates in the technology media sector, focusing on software development professionals. Its business model revolves around content publishing, including news, podcasts, and webinars, likely monetized through advertising and sponsorships. The company maintains a consistent brand presence and leverages marketing tools such as ActiveCampaign and HubSpot. The domain age and WHOIS data support a credible and stable market presence. The absence of direct contact information and formal policies on the site suggests potential areas to enhance transparency and user trust. The social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn supports community engagement and brand visibility.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a basic to moderate security maturity level. HTTPS is properly implemented, and cookie consent mechanisms indicate GDPR awareness. However, the lack of security headers, absence of published security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms highlight gaps in security best practices. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the provided content. The site would benefit from enabling DNSSEC, publishing security and privacy policies, and adding security headers to strengthen its security posture and compliance with industry standards.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC on the domain to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

SD Times

Description:

SD Times is the leading site for software developers and development managers, offering news, analysis, podcasts, and live webinars on a range of topics.

Key Services:
newsanalysispodcastslive webinars
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
WordPress 6.8.2jQuery 3.7.1Google Tag ManagerYoast SEO PremiumActiveCampaign subscription formsMega Menu ProClicky AnalyticsHubSpot AnalyticsGoogle AnalyticsQueryly search
Frameworks:
WordPress
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
75/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Use of Google Tag Manager and analytics scripts with consent mechanism
  • Cookie consent banner implemented

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsClicky AnalyticsHubSpot Analytics
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Google Adsense
Tracking Pixels:
HubSpot AnalyticsClicky Analytics
Marketing Tools:
ActiveCampaignHubSpotConvertFlow
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 professional media site focused on software development news.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

30/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-Content-Type-Options header

MEDIUM

Prevents MIME type sniffing

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)

Missing Referrer-Policy header

LOW

Controls referrer information sent with requests

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

95/100
Score

No Data Protection Officer mentioned

LOW

Large organizations may need to designate a DPO under GDPR

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

47/100
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 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

55/100
Score

DMARC not enforcing

MEDIUM

DMARC policy is set to "none"

No DMARC reporting

LOW

DMARC aggregate reports not configured

No DKIM record found

MEDIUM

DKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails

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:emsd1.com ~all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:~all
DMARC Details
Policy:none

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

62/100
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

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

4 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

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

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

DNS Records

A Records:35.202.185.210
Name Servers:
ns05.domaincontrol.comDNS only
ns06.domaincontrol.comDNS only
MX Records:
20: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
40: aspmx2.googlemail.com
50: aspmx3.googlemail.com
30: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
10: aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 2024101402, TTL: 600s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:121ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:emsd1.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 mature WordPress platform with a variety of plugins for SEO, analytics, marketing, and user experience enhancements. The tech stack includes jQuery, Google Tag Manager, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and Clicky Analytics. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. The site uses a Mega Menu for navigation and integrates external resources from trusted CDNs. Hosting appears to be with GoDaddy, consistent with the registrar information. There is no indication of technical debt or outdated libraries in the provided data, but security headers and DNSSEC are missing, representing technical risks that should be addressed to improve overall security and resilience.
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