Is simplemachinesweb.com Safe? Security Analysis for Simple Machines
Check if simplemachinesweb.com 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. The website serves developers, community managers, and organizations seeking a reliable forum platform. The business model is community-driven and volunteer-supported, with a strong presence since 2005. The site offers downloads, customizations, support, and documentation to its users. Technically, the website uses a PHP/MySQL backend with jQuery and integrates Google Adsense and Google Tag Manager for monetization and analytics. Hosting and DNS are managed via Cloudflare, providing good performance and security benefits. The site is mobile responsive and well-structured, with good SEO and accessibility basics. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and domain transfer protection, but lacks DNSSEC and security headers. There is no published privacy or cookie policy, which is a compliance gap. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure policies are visible. The domain is long-standing and legitimate, supporting trust in the project. Overall, the website is professional and trustworthy but would benefit from improved privacy compliance and enhanced security headers. Strategic improvements in these areas will strengthen user trust and regulatory adherence.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
Simple Machines holds a strong position in the open-source forum software market, competing by offering a free, feature-rich, and customizable product. Its competitive advantage lies in its active community, extensive customization options, and long history. Revenue streams likely include donations, advertising, and possibly support services. The target customers are community builders and developers seeking free forum solutions. The project ecosystem includes GitHub for development and multiple support and customization portals. Growth indicators include recent software releases and active community engagement. Partnerships appear limited to open-source and community collaborations.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS and domain transfer lock in place. However, the absence of DNSSEC and security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security reduces its defense-in-depth. No explicit security or incident response policies are published, which may hinder rapid response to vulnerabilities. Data protection practices are not clearly communicated, and cookie consent is missing, posing GDPR compliance risks. The security culture appears community-driven but could benefit from formalized policies and disclosures.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
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
Simple Machines
Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is an open-source free community forum software delivering professional grade features that allow users to set up online communities quickly. It offers a powerful template engine, server side includes, and is written in PHP using MySQL database.
good
consistent
Technical Stack
fast
good
basic
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- Domain status clientTransferProhibited
- Use of Cloudflare DNS
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenges.
🛡️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
No DKIM record found
MEDIUMDKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails
No BIMI Record
LOWBIMI displays brand logos in email clients
No MTA-STS Policy
MEDIUMMTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery
No TLS-RPT Record
LOWTLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues
SPF Details
DMARC 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
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