Skip to main content

Is substack.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Substack Reviews

substack.com favicon

Is substack.com Safe? Security Analysis for Substack

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

TechnologyN/amedium
React (implied by Preact Helmet usage)WebpackTailwind CSSCloudflare DNSAmazon Registrar+1 more
Analyzed 9/4/2025Completed 11:35:41 PM
66
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Substack is a well-established platform founded in 2010 that empowers independent writers and content creators to publish subscription-based newsletters with full editorial control and ownership. The platform is positioned as a leader in the independent publishing space, offering key services such as newsletter publishing, subscription management, and reader engagement tools. The website demonstrates a professional design and consistent branding, targeting independent voices and readers interested in subscription content. Technically, Substack employs modern web technologies including React/Preact, Tailwind CSS, and Webpack, hosted on Amazon infrastructure with Cloudflare DNS and CDN services. The site is optimized for performance and mobile responsiveness, providing a good user experience. However, some SEO and accessibility features are basic, and there is room for improvement in these areas. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses domain status protections to prevent unauthorized changes. While no critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected, the absence of DNSSEC and explicit security policies or incident response information suggests opportunities to enhance security posture. Privacy compliance indicators such as privacy and cookie policies are not evident in the provided content, indicating a potential compliance gap. Overall, Substack presents a trustworthy and professional platform with a strong market position. Strategic recommendations include enabling DNSSEC, publishing comprehensive privacy and security policies, and adding vulnerability disclosure mechanisms to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Detected Technologies

React (implied by Preact Helmet usage)WebpackTailwind CSSCloudflare DNSAmazon RegistrarSubstack CDN

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Substack operates in the technology and media sectors, focusing on subscription-based newsletter publishing. Its business model revolves around enabling independent creators to monetize their content directly, bypassing traditional gatekeepers. The platform's competitive advantage lies in its ownership model, allowing creators to retain intellectual property and subscriber relationships. Revenue streams likely include subscription fees and possibly platform fees. The target audience includes independent writers, journalists, and readers seeking curated content. Growth indicators include a mature domain age and consistent branding. The partnership ecosystem includes Amazon for domain registration and Cloudflare for DNS/CDN services. The company maintains a medium size with a focus on technology-driven content delivery.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

Substack demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforcement and domain registration protections. The use of Cloudflare DNS adds a layer of security and performance. However, the lack of DNSSEC and absence of published security policies or incident response contacts indicate areas for improvement. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found in the analyzed content. Compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations is unclear due to missing privacy and cookie policies. The platform would benefit from publishing a security.txt file and vulnerability disclosure guidelines to enhance transparency and incident readiness. Overall, the security culture appears professional but could be more explicit in communication.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Substack

Description:

Substack is a platform for independent voices, enabling writers and creators to publish newsletters and monetize their content with full editorial control and ownership of their intellectual property, mailing lists, and subscriber payments.

Key Services:
Newsletter publishingSubscription managementContent hostingReader engagement tools
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
React (implied by Preact Helmet usage)WebpackTailwind CSSCloudflare DNSAmazon RegistrarSubstack CDN
Frameworks:
PreactTailwind CSS
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

basic

Security Assessment

Security Score:
80/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Domain status includes clientDeleteProhibited, clientTransferProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Cloudflare DNS for protection

Analytics & Tracking

Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:poor

Advertising & Marketing

Transparency Level:poor

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website content is fully accessible and not blocked by WAF.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

45/100
Score

Missing X-Frame-Options header

HIGH

Prevents clickjacking attacks

Missing X-Content-Type-Options header

MEDIUM

Prevents MIME type sniffing

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

58/100
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

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

2/100
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 business continuity planning found

MEDIUM

NIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity

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

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

85/100
Score

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:mailgun.org include:mail.zendesk.com ~all
DNS Lookups:3/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1176-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Subdomain Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:re+kvnosxqvppz@dmarc.postmarkapp.com

🏆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 56 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:substack.com
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:10/31/2025 (56 days)
SANs:substack.com, *.substack.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
15 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(1694 days)
Protection Level
strongDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:104.18.37.200, 172.64.150.56
AAAA Records:2606:4700:4400::ac40:9638, 2606:4700:440b::6812:25c8
Name Servers:
ali.ns.cloudflare.com
lee.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
10: mxb.mailgun.org
10: mxa.mailgun.org
SOA:Serial: 2380614560, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:41ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:mailgun.org 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/Preact, Tailwind CSS, and Webpack, served via a CDN (substackcdn.com) with DNS managed by Cloudflare. Hosting is supported by Amazon Registrar for domain management. The site loads efficiently with good mobile optimization and a professional UI. Some technical debt is suggested by the absence of DNSSEC and limited SEO metadata. The site lacks explicit security headers in the provided data, which could be improved. Overall, the infrastructure is robust and scalable but could benefit from enhanced security configurations and SEO optimizations.
Analyze Another Website