Is simplemachines.org Safe? Security Analysis for Simple Machines
Check if simplemachines.org is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
Simple Machines is an established open-source software project providing the Simple Machines Forum (SMF), a free and customizable forum software solution. Founded in 2003 and based in the US, it targets online community builders and forum administrators seeking a professional-grade, resource-efficient forum platform. The website offers downloads, customization options, support, and documentation to its user base. Technically, the site uses PHP, MySQL, jQuery, and integrates Google Analytics and Adsense for tracking and monetization. Hosting and DNS are managed via Cloudflare and NameCheap respectively, ensuring good performance and availability. Security posture is moderate with HTTPS enforced and domain transfer protections in place, but lacks DNSSEC and explicit security headers. Privacy compliance is basic, with a privacy policy and terms of service present but no cookie consent mechanism. Overall, the site is professional, trustworthy, and well-positioned in the open-source forum software market.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
Simple Machines operates as a volunteer-driven open-source project with a clear focus on community forum software. Its competitive advantage lies in its long history, active community, and extensive customization capabilities via modifications and themes. Revenue streams likely include donations, advertising, and possibly support services. The target customers are forum administrators and developers seeking free, flexible forum solutions. The project maintains a GitHub presence for development transparency and community contributions. Partnerships appear limited to related Simple Machines domains for downloads, support, and customization. Growth indicators include recent software releases and active community forums. Strategic observations suggest opportunities in enhancing privacy compliance and security transparency to strengthen trust.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS enforced and domain transfer lock enabled. However, the absence of DNSSEC and lack of visible security headers such as Content-Security-Policy or X-Frame-Options represent gaps. No public incident response or security policies were found, which could hinder rapid response to security incidents. The use of third-party analytics and advertising scripts introduces moderate tracking risks. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analyzed content. Compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations is partial, lacking cookie consent mechanisms. Overall, the security posture is adequate for an open-source project website but could be improved with enhanced security headers, DNSSEC, and transparent security policies.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Enable DNSSEC on the domain to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Simple Machines
Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is open-source free community forum software delivering professional grade features allowing users to set up online communities quickly. It is written in PHP and uses MySQL database.
good
consistent
Technical Stack
fast
good
basic
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- Domain status clientTransferProhibited
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is a well-established open-source forum software project.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
HIGHForces HTTPS connections
Missing X-Frame-Options header
HIGHPrevents clickjacking attacks
Missing X-Content-Type-Options header
MEDIUMPrevents MIME type sniffing
Missing Content-Security-Policy header
HIGHControls resources the browser is allowed to load
Missing X-XSS-Protection header
MEDIUMLegacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)
Missing Referrer-Policy header
LOWControls referrer information sent with requests
Missing Permissions-Policy header
MEDIUMControls browser features and APIs
Sensitive data may be cached
LOWCache-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
No Privacy Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy
No Cookie Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires clear information about cookie usage
No Cookie Consent Banner found
HIGHGDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies
Third-party services without privacy policy
HIGHDetected services: Google Analytics, Google APIs
GDPR Compliance Analysis
🛡️NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.
NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive
No information security framework found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures
No vulnerability disclosure policy
MEDIUMNIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure
No security policy documentation found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management
No incident response procedures found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans
No business continuity planning found
MEDIUMNIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity
No security contact information
HIGHNIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels
No vulnerability reporting mechanism
MEDIUMClear vulnerability reporting supports coordinated disclosure
No NIS2 reference found
LOWConsider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts
Critical sector without clear security compliance
HIGHDetected sectors: energy, transport, digital
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
SPF Details
DKIM Selectors Found
DMARC Details
MTA-STS Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days
MEDIUMSSL certificate expires in 77 days
Weak SSL Key Length
HIGHSSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Certificate Details
OCSP Status
📊DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment.
DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment
DNSSEC Not Enabled
MEDIUMDNSSEC is not configured for this domain
CAA Records Not Configured
LOWCertificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found
Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled
LOWDomain can be deleted without additional verification
Domain Registration Details
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
DNS Performance
SPF Analysis
⚡Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis.
Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis
Good Network Security Posture
LOWNo unnecessary services detected on common risky ports
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings