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Is zhihu.com a Scam? Security Check Results - 知乎 Reviews

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Is zhihu.com Safe? Security Analysis for 知乎

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

TechnologyChinalarge
React 17.0.2Sentry (error tracking)Canvas (QR code generation)JavaScript ES6+CSS Emotion+1 more
Analyzed 8/2/2025Completed 6:54:00 AM
72
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Zhihu is a leading Chinese knowledge-sharing platform established in 2011, offering a comprehensive Q&A community and original content creation services. It targets Chinese internet users seeking high-quality knowledge exchange across diverse fields such as technology, business, culture, and entertainment. The platform operates a community-driven content monetization model and maintains a strong market position as a key influencer in the Chinese digital knowledge economy. Technically, Zhihu employs modern web technologies including React and Sentry for error monitoring, ensuring a responsive and performant user experience. The website is well-optimized for accessibility and SEO, with fast loading times and mobile-friendly design. Security-wise, Zhihu enforces HTTPS and uses secure login mechanisms, though explicit security headers and cookie consent mechanisms could be improved. The absence of WHOIS data is a notable anomaly but does not detract significantly from the platform's legitimacy given its extensive certifications and business presence. Overall, Zhihu demonstrates a mature digital infrastructure and a robust security posture suitable for its scale and industry.

Detected Technologies

React 17.0.2Sentry (error tracking)Canvas (QR code generation)JavaScript ES6+CSS EmotionBaidu Analytics

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Zhihu holds a dominant position in the Chinese knowledge-sharing market, leveraging a large user base of creators and consumers. Its business model centers on community engagement and content monetization, supported by institutional accounts and mobile applications. The platform benefits from multiple government licenses, enhancing regulatory compliance and trust. Partnerships with recruitment and investor relations platforms indicate a broad ecosystem supporting growth and corporate governance. Zhihu's competitive advantage lies in its high-quality content, professional community, and diversified service offerings. Growth indicators include continuous platform enhancements, social login integrations, and active user engagement features. Strategic observations suggest focusing on expanding privacy compliance and security transparency to maintain user trust amid evolving regulatory landscapes.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Email Addresses (1)

j*****@zhihu.com

Phone Numbers (1)

010*******

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

Zhihu exhibits a solid security foundation with enforced HTTPS, secure authentication options including SMS and password login, and integration of Sentry for real-time error and exception monitoring. The platform provides clear channels for abuse reporting and content violation notifications, reflecting incident response readiness. However, the lack of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and cookie consent mechanisms indicates areas for improvement in defense-in-depth and privacy compliance. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analyzed content. Compliance with Chinese regulatory requirements is evidenced by multiple official certifications. Overall, Zhihu maintains a mature security posture appropriate for a large-scale internet platform but should enhance transparency and user privacy controls.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement and publicly document comprehensive security headers including CSP, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to strengthen browser security.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

知乎

Description:

知乎是中文互联网高质量的问答社区和创作者聚集的原创内容平台,成立于2011年1月,致力于分享知识、经验和见解,覆盖科技、商业、影视、时尚、文化等多个领域。

Key Services:
问答社区原创内容平台机构号服务移动应用
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
React 17.0.2Sentry (error tracking)Canvas (QR code generation)JavaScript ES6+CSS EmotionBaidu Analytics
Frameworks:
React
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Sentry for error monitoring
  • Secure login forms with SMS and password options

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Baidu AnalyticswebReporter
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Baidu Analytics
Marketing Tools:
webReporterSentry
Transparency Level:basic

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 no blocking or WAF challenge detected.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

75/100
Score

Weak Strict-Transport-Security configuration

LOW

Current value: "max-age=15552000; includeSubDomains"

Weak X-XSS-Protection configuration

LOW

Current value: "0"

Weak Referrer-Policy configuration

LOW

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

Missing Permissions-Policy header

MEDIUM

Controls browser features and APIs

👤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
emailphone

🛡️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: transport, 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.mail.qq.com -all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:mail(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine
Aggregate Reports:mailauth-reports@qq.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

90/100
Score

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

2 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:*.zhihu.com
Issuer:GeoTrust G2 TLS CN RSA4096 SHA256 2022 CA1
Valid Until:1/10/2026 (161 days)
SANs:*.zhihu.com, zhihu.com

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

80/100
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

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
18 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(1502 days)
Protection Level
moderateDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:103.41.167.234
Name Servers:
ns3.dnsv5.com
ns4.dnsv5.com
MX Records:
5: mxbiz1.qq.com
10: mxbiz2.qq.com
SOA:Serial: 1751447780, TTL: 180s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:42ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:spf.mail.qq.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

Zhihu's technical infrastructure is modern and robust, leveraging React 17 for frontend rendering and Sentry for error tracking. The site uses advanced CSS-in-JS styling (Emotion) and canvas elements for dynamic QR code generation. Performance is optimized with preloading of fonts and asynchronous loading of scripts. The platform integrates multiple subdomains and APIs for content delivery, authentication, and payment services. Accessibility features such as ARIA roles and skip links are implemented, enhancing usability for assistive technologies. SEO is supported by comprehensive meta tags and Open Graph descriptions. The absence of a traditional CMS suggests a custom-built platform tailored for scalability and flexibility. Technical risks are minimal, with opportunities for improvement in security header implementation and cookie consent management.
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