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Is standardnotes.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Standard Notes Reviews

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Is standardnotes.com Safe? Security Analysis for Standard Notes

https://standardnotes.com

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

TechnologyN/asmall
ReactGatsbyCloudflare DNS
Analyzed 10/3/2025Completed 11:07:00 PM
70
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Standard Notes is a privacy-focused, end-to-end encrypted note-taking application offering secure, cross-platform syncing and offline access. The company positions itself as an ethical, independent provider with open source code and independent security audits, targeting privacy-conscious users and professionals. Their business model relies on revenue from paying users without venture capital funding, emphasizing sustainability and trust. Technically, the website is built on modern frameworks like Gatsby and React, hosted with reputable providers, and optimized for performance and mobile use. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, zero-knowledge encryption, and audited code, though DNSSEC is not enabled and no cookie consent mechanism is present. Overall, the site is professional, trustworthy, and well-structured, with minimal tracking and good privacy compliance.

Detected Technologies

ReactGatsbyCloudflare DNS

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Standard Notes operates in the technology sector, specifically in secure digital note-taking. It holds a niche market position emphasizing privacy and security, appealing to users who require confidentiality and data control. The company is independent, with no venture capital, relying solely on paying users. Their open source and audited approach enhances credibility. The target audience includes writers, legal professionals, journalists, and privacy-conscious individuals. The company has been in service since 2018 (with claims of 9 years in service possibly reflecting brand history). The ecosystem includes active social media channels and community forums, supporting user engagement and transparency.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The security maturity of Standard Notes is high, leveraging end-to-end and zero-knowledge encryption to protect user data. The website enforces HTTPS and uses Cloudflare DNS, though DNSSEC is not enabled, which is a minor gap. The codebase is open source and independently audited, enhancing transparency and trust. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. However, the absence of a security.txt file and incident response contact emails limits formal vulnerability disclosure channels. The lack of a cookie consent mechanism despite tracking scripts is a minor compliance gap. Overall, the security culture appears strong with room for formalizing some policies.

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:

Standard Notes

Description:

Standard Notes is a free, secure note-taking app with powerful end-to-end encryption, unparalleled privacy features, and seamless cross-platform syncing on unlimited devices.

Key Services:
End-to-end encrypted note-takingCross-platform syncingOffline accessSecure file storage
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
ReactGatsbyCloudflare DNS
Frameworks:
Gatsby
Platforms:
WebWindowsMobile (implied)
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Zero-knowledge encryption
  • Open source and audited code

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Plausible Analytics
Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
plausible.standardnotes.com
Marketing Tools:
Plausible Analytics
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

70/100
Score

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

Weak Referrer-Policy configuration

LOW

Current value: "no-referrer-when-downgrade"

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

53/100
Score

No Cookie Policy found

HIGH

GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

No Cookie Consent Banner found

HIGH

GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

No Data Protection Officer mentioned

LOW

Large organizations may need to designate a DPO under GDPR

Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant

MEDIUM

Privacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements

GDPR Compliance Analysis

Privacy Policy85% confidence
Cookie Policy0% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
phone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

28/100
Score

No information security framework found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures

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 NIS2 reference found

LOW

Consider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts

Critical sector without clear security compliance

HIGH

Detected sectors: energy, transport, banking, health, digital

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

65/100
Score

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:_spf.google.com include:amazonses.com include:_spf.protonmail.ch include:mail.zendesk.com -all
DNS Lookups:4/10
Policy:-all
DMARC Details
Policy: quarantine

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

75/100
Score

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 67 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:standardnotes.com
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:12/10/2025 (67 days)
SANs:standardnotes.com, mta-sts.standardnotes.com

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

85/100
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 Registration Details

Domain Age
6 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(1154 days)
Protection Level
strongDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:172.66.156.195, 104.20.43.206
AAAA Records:2606:4700:10::ac42:9cc3, 2606:4700:10::6814:2bce
Name Servers:
agustin.ns.cloudflare.com
paris.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
20: mailsec.protonmail.ch
10: mail.protonmail.ch
SOA:Serial: 2383045832, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:59ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:amazonses.com include:_spf.protonmail.ch 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

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website uses a modern tech stack including React and Gatsby, ensuring fast performance and good SEO. Hosting and DNS are managed by reputable providers (Amazon Registrar and Cloudflare). The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, with clear navigation and professional design. No CMS is detected, indicating a custom or static site approach. The use of Plausible Analytics reflects a privacy-conscious choice for minimal tracking. Technical risks are low, with no outdated or vulnerable libraries detected. Opportunities exist to enhance DNS security and formalize privacy mechanisms.
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