Skip to main content

Is sifted.eu a Scam? Security Check Results - Sifted Reviews

sifted.eu favicon

Is sifted.eu Safe? Security Analysis for Sifted

Check if sifted.eu is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

MediaN/amedium
Next.jsReactGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsFacebook Pixel+2 more
Analyzed 9/6/2025Completed 7:27:26 PM
67
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Sifted is a European-focused media company delivering startup news, analysis, and in-depth reporting on founders, investors, and operators. It is backed by the Financial Times, positioning it as a reputable niche media outlet within the European startup ecosystem. The website employs modern web technologies including Next.js and React, integrated with multiple analytics and marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and HubSpot. Cookie consent is managed comprehensively via Cookiebot, reflecting good privacy compliance practices. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and security cookies in use, though explicit security headers and incident response information are absent. Overall, the site presents professional content with a clear target audience and good technical maturity.

Detected Technologies

Next.jsReactGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsFacebook PixelHubSpotCookiebot

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Sifted operates as a media business specializing in European startup ecosystem coverage. Its competitive advantage lies in its backing by the Financial Times, lending credibility and access to quality content. The business model centers on content publishing, likely monetized through advertising and partnerships. Target customers include startup founders, investors, and ecosystem participants across Europe. The website integrates with key partners for payments (Stripe) and marketing (HubSpot), indicating a mature digital infrastructure. Growth potential is supported by its niche focus and strong brand association.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enabled and use of security-related cookies such as AWS WAF tokens. Cookie consent is actively managed with detailed disclosures via Cookiebot. However, the absence of explicit security headers like Content Security Policy and lack of published security policies or incident response contacts represent gaps. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analyzed content. The site would benefit from enhanced transparency around security practices and formal incident response mechanisms to improve trust and compliance.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement and publish explicit security headers including CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Sifted

Description:

The latest startup news, analysis and in-depth reporting on Europe's founders, investors and operators. Backed by the Financial Times.

Key Services:
Startup newsAnalysisIn-depth reporting
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Next.jsReactGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsFacebook PixelHubSpotCookiebot
Frameworks:
Next.jsReact
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent management via Cookiebot
  • No exposed sensitive data detected
  • Use of security cookies (e.g., AWS WAF tokens)

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsHubSpot AnalyticsFacebook Pixel
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Google AdsFacebook Ads
Tracking Pixels:
Facebook PixelHubSpot Analytics
Marketing Tools:
HubSpotCookiebot
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website uses modern web technologies and frameworks.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

15/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-Frame-Options header

HIGH

Prevents clickjacking attacks

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

100/100
Score
No issues found

GDPR Compliance Analysis

Privacy Policy85% confidence
Cookie Policy85% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
emailphone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

25/100
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 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

70/100
Score

Complex SPF record

LOW

Too many include statements can cause lookup limits

DMARC not enforcing

MEDIUM

DMARC policy is set to "none"

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:20037605.spf06.hubspotemail.net include:_spf.google.com include:_spf1.swapcard.com include:spf2.azavista.com include:servers.visitcloud.com ip4:205.201.128.0/20 ip4:198.2.128.0/18 ip4:148.105.8.0/21 ~all
DNS Lookups:5/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:default(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:google(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:k1(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:k2(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:dkim(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc@sifted.eu
Forensic Reports:dmarc@sifted.eu

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

65/100
Score

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 54 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

19 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:sifted.eu
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:10/31/2025 (54 days)
SANs:sifted.eu, *.sifted.eu

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

Domain Registration Details

DNS Records

A Records:104.26.11.26, 172.67.72.21, 104.26.10.26
AAAA Records:2606:4700:20::ac43:4815, 2606:4700:20::681a:b1a, 2606:4700:20::681a:a1a
Name Servers:
molly.ns.cloudflare.comDNS only
rocky.ns.cloudflare.comDNS only
MX Records:
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
1: aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 2381317674, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:226ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:20037605.spf06.hubspotemail.net include:_spf.google.com include:_spf1.swapcard.com include:spf2.azavista.com include:servers.visitcloud.com ip4:205.201.128.0/20 ip4:198.2.128.0/18 ip4:148.105.8.0/21 ~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 React/Next.js framework with server-side rendering capabilities. It leverages Google Tag Manager for analytics and marketing integrations, including Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel. Cookie consent is managed via Cookiebot, ensuring GDPR compliance. The site loads multiple fonts and CSS asynchronously, indicating performance optimization efforts. Hosting details are not explicit but likely cloud-based. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization. Opportunities exist to improve accessibility and add security headers to reduce technical risks.
Analyze Another Website