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Is theathletic.com a Scam? Security Check Results - The Athletic

theathletic.com Security Report Summary

theathletic.com received a security score of 78 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers The Athletic's website security posture. The Athletic operates in the Media industry in United States.

The Athletic is a premium sports news and analysis platform owned by The New York Times, offering comprehensive coverage across multiple sports leagues and teams. It targets sports enthusiasts seeking in-depth stories, scores, schedules, and podcasts through a subscription-based model. The website demonstrates a high level of professionalism, consistent branding, and excellent content quality, positioning it strongly in the media industry. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including React and Next.js, with integrations for analytics and consent management such as Google Tag Manager, Chartbeat, Datadog RUM, and Transcend. The site is optimized for performance, mobile responsiveness, and accessibility, providing a fast and user-friendly experience. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS, employs multiple security headers, and shows no signs of exposed sensitive data or vulnerabilities. Privacy compliance is robust with clear privacy and cookie policies, GDPR adherence, and visible contact information. However, there is room to improve by publishing a vulnerability disclosure policy and enhancing incident response contact visibility. Overall, the website presents a low-risk profile with strong trust indicators and a mature digital presence. The lack of WHOIS data is likely due to privacy protections common for high-profile domains and does not detract from the site's legitimacy.

The security scan identified 20 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: React, Next.js, Google Tag Manager, Chartbeat, Datadog RUM, Transcend Consent Management, Brandmetrics.

About this security scan

Guard performs automated security assessments of websites by analyzing SSL/TLS certificates, HTTP security headers, DNS configuration, email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), GDPR compliance indicators, NIS2 directive compliance, network exposure, and AI-powered business intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

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Is theathletic.com Safe? Security Analysis for The Athletic

https://theathletic.com

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

MediaUnited Stateslarge
ReactNext.jsGoogle Tag ManagerChartbeatDatadog RUM+2 more
Analyzed 10/9/2025Completed 6:56:48 PM5mo ago
78
Security Score
LOW RISK

Above Media avg (58)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

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Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

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AI Summary

The Athletic is a premium sports news and analysis platform owned by The New York Times, offering comprehensive coverage across multiple sports leagues and teams. It targets sports enthusiasts seeking in-depth stories, scores, schedules, and podcasts through a subscription-based model. The website demonstrates a high level of professionalism, consistent branding, and excellent content quality, positioning it strongly in the media industry. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including React and Next.js, with integrations for analytics and consent management such as Google Tag Manager, Chartbeat, Datadog RUM, and Transcend. The site is optimized for performance, mobile responsiveness, and accessibility, providing a fast and user-friendly experience. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS, employs multiple security headers, and shows no signs of exposed sensitive data or vulnerabilities. Privacy compliance is robust with clear privacy and cookie policies, GDPR adherence, and visible contact information. However, there is room to improve by publishing a vulnerability disclosure policy and enhancing incident response contact visibility. Overall, the website presents a low-risk profile with strong trust indicators and a mature digital presence. The lack of WHOIS data is likely due to privacy protections common for high-profile domains and does not detract from the site's legitimacy.

Detected Technologies

ReactNext.jsGoogle Tag ManagerChartbeatDatadog RUMTranscend Consent ManagementBrandmetrics

6 urgent findings need attention

6 high

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Guard tracks your live infrastructure daily: certificate expiry, DNS & mail authentication drift, uptime changes, subdomain inventory, and unexpected tracker or content shifts. A full timeline captures every diff so you can prove remediation and spot regressions instantly.

Security drift alerts

Risk score drops, new high-severity issues, and header hardening gaps

Compliance watch

GDPR / NIS2 posture changes with governance evidence snapshots

Infrastructure surface

Unexpected open services, SSL expiry, DNS & email authentication changes

Content & tracker intelligence

Marketing tech shifts, analytics drift, and AI recommendation updates

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Security Headers

3 findings

75/100

GDPR Compliance

1 finding

85/100

NIS2 Compliance

8 findings

17/100

Email Security

3 findings

85/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The Athletic operates as a subsidiary of The New York Times, leveraging the parent company's reputation to establish itself as a leading sports media brand. Its subscription-based business model focuses on delivering exclusive sports content to a dedicated audience. The company benefits from a broad partnership ecosystem including customer support via Zendesk and social media engagement across major platforms. Growth indicators include consistent content updates, diversified sports coverage, and integration of podcasts and fantasy sports content. Strategic observations highlight the importance of maintaining premium content quality and expanding digital engagement to sustain competitive advantage.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The Athletic exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and no detected vulnerabilities in the analyzed content. Data protection practices align with GDPR requirements, supported by clear privacy and cookie policies. Incident response mechanisms are not prominently disclosed, suggesting an opportunity to improve transparency and readiness. The use of third-party analytics and marketing tools is balanced with privacy compliance measures. Overall, the security culture appears proactive but could benefit from formalized vulnerability disclosure and incident response documentation.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a formal vulnerability disclosure policy and security.txt file to enhance transparency and community engagement.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

The Athletic

Description:

Unrivaled sports coverage across every team you care about and every league you follow. Get breaking news, powerful stories and smart analysis from the best writers in sports.

Key Services:
Sports newsStoriesScoresSchedulesPodcastsFantasy Football content
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
ReactNext.jsGoogle Tag ManagerChartbeatDatadog RUMTranscend Consent ManagementBrandmetrics
Frameworks:
Next.js
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data detected
  • Secure forms with proper redirection

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
ChartbeatDatadog RUMScorecardResearch
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
ScorecardResearch
Tracking Pixels:
ChartbeatDatadog RUM
Marketing Tools:
Brandmetrics
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 detected.

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

75/100
Score

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

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

85/100
Score

No Cookie Consent Banner found

HIGH

GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

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

17/100
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

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📧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:nytimes.com._nspf.vali.email include:%{i}._ip.%{h}._ehlo.%{d}._spf.vali.email include:_spf.e.sparkpost.com include:amazonses.com ~all
DNS Lookups:4/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:k2(1416-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:dmarc_agg@vali.email

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

82/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Enabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

90/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
31 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(299 days)
Protection Level
strongDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:151.101.65.164, 151.101.129.164, 151.101.193.164, 151.101.1.164
Name Servers:
dns1.p06.nsone.net
dns2.p06.nsone.net
dns3.p06.nsone.net
dns4.p06.nsone.net
ns-1328.awsdns-38.org
ns-1652.awsdns-14.co.uk
ns-244.awsdns-30.com
ns-635.awsdns-15.net
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 1652977792, TTL: 300s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:56ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:nytimes.com._nspf.vali.email include:%{i}._ip.%{h}._ehlo.%{d}._spf.vali.email include:_spf.e.sparkpost.com include:amazonses.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

How does theathletic.com compare?

See how theathletic.com stacks up against similar websites in the same industry.

🔧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 and Next.js framework, enabling server-side rendering and optimized performance. It integrates multiple analytics and consent management tools, including Google Tag Manager, Chartbeat, Datadog RUM, and Transcend, indicating a sophisticated approach to user tracking and privacy compliance. The site demonstrates fast loading times, excellent mobile responsiveness, and good SEO practices with proper meta tags and structured data. No CMS is explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or proprietary content management solution. Hosting details are not explicitly available but likely leverage enterprise-grade infrastructure given the scale and brand. Technical risks are minimal, with opportunities for further modernization in security transparency and incident response readiness.
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PDF Report & Export

PDF download, email delivery, unlock code

39.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Marketing Intelligence

Contact emails, phone numbers & warm leads

49.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domaintheathletic.com
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

Secure payments processed via EveryPay. Prices in EUR; Incl. 21% VAT.

SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

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