Skip to main content

Is zambianobserver.com a Scam? Security Check Results - The Zambian Observer Reviews

zambianobserver.com favicon

Is zambianobserver.com Safe? Security Analysis for The Zambian Observer

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

MediaZambiamedium
WordPressPHPjQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle Analytics+3 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 1:17:35 PM
51
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The Zambian Observer is a regional news media website focused on delivering the latest news from Zambia and around the world. Established in 2015, it operates on a WordPress platform hosted by InMotion Hosting and leverages popular advertising and analytics tools such as Google AdSense, Google Analytics, Taboola, and Criteo. The site targets a general audience interested in news and current affairs, providing content primarily in English. The business model centers on online news publishing with revenue generated through advertising networks. The website demonstrates good content quality, consistent branding, and a professional design optimized for mobile devices.

Detected Technologies

WordPressPHPjQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsGoogle AdSenseTaboolaCriteo

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The website holds a moderate market position as a regional news outlet for Zambia, serving a medium-sized audience. It benefits from a clear business model focused on content monetization through ads and partnerships with major ad networks. The use of structured data and SEO plugins indicates an effort to maintain visibility and search engine ranking. However, the absence of explicit privacy and cookie policies may impact user trust and compliance with data protection regulations. Social media presence is indicated but links are placeholders, suggesting potential areas for growth in audience engagement and marketing.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The site enforces HTTPS and has domain transfer protections in place, which are positive security indicators. However, the lack of DNSSEC, minimal security headers, and absence of a security.txt file highlight areas for improvement. The WordPress CMS and associated plugins require regular updates and hardening to mitigate vulnerabilities. No critical security issues or blocking mechanisms were detected, but the site would benefit from enhanced security policies and headers to protect against common web threats. Privacy compliance is weak due to missing policies and consent mechanisms, which could expose the site to regulatory risks.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement and publish a comprehensive privacy policy and cookie policy with clear GDPR compliance statements.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

The Zambian Observer

Description:

The Zambian Observer - Latest News from Zambia

Key Services:
news publishingonline news content
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
WordPressPHPjQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsGoogle AdSenseTaboolaCriteo
Frameworks:
All in One SEOJetpack
Platforms:
WordPress
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
65/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • ClientTransferProhibited domain status

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsGoogle Tag Manager
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:poor

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Google AdSenseTaboolaCriteo
Tracking Pixels:
TaboolaCriteo
Marketing Tools:
Site Kit by Google
Transparency Level:basic

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is a WordPress-based news media platform focused on Zambia and world news.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

15/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-Frame-Options header

HIGH

Prevents clickjacking attacks

Missing X-Content-Type-Options header

MEDIUM

Prevents MIME type sniffing

Missing Content-Security-Policy header

HIGH

Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

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

70/100
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

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

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

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

60/100
Score

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

No email authentication configured

CRITICAL

Domain is vulnerable to email spoofing

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

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

62/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

OCSP Stapling Not Enabled

LOW

OCSP stapling improves performance and privacy

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

SSL Certificate Expires Soon

HIGH

SSL certificate expires in 7 days

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 Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

70/100
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 Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

No DMARC Record

MEDIUM

DMARC policy not configured

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
9 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(92 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:144.208.72.95
Name Servers:
ns1.inmotionhosting.com
ns2.inmotionhosting.com
SOA:Serial: 2023100510, TTL: 172800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:87ms

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis.

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis

40/100
Score

Service Exposed: SSH

MEDIUM

Port 22 (SSH) is publicly accessible - SSH - Secure but can be brute-forced

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website uses a modern WordPress CMS with popular SEO and analytics plugins, indicating a mature digital infrastructure. Hosting by InMotion Hosting provides reliable performance, though the site performance is moderate and could be optimized further. Mobile optimization is good, ensuring accessibility across devices. The site uses multiple external resources including Google Fonts and advertising/tracking scripts, which may impact load times and privacy. Accessibility features are basic, and SEO optimization is good due to structured data and meta tags. Technical debt is minimal but security enhancements are recommended to reduce risk.
Analyze Another Website