SAFE

No threats detected

All checks passed. This site appears legitimate — but always stay alert for phishing even on trusted domains.

Security Review

Is news18.com legit or a scam?

Our verdict:Safe· 97/100

News18 is a highly reputable Indian news organization with a 27-year domain history and verified corporate ownership by Reliance Industries.

news18.comScanned 1d ago
0
Trust score
SAFE
Score breakdown
Heuristics 100·MT 95
Screenshot of news18.comSee the live page ↓
Positive signals (5)
Antivirus clearNot on major blacklistsDomain is 27 years oldEncrypted connectionClean server reputation
View density

Analysis Summary

Threat Intelligence
0/92
All engines report clean
Domain Age
27 years old
Registered Apr 7, 1999
Intelligence
Safe
Low likelihood · 95% confidence

Website Preview

Screenshot of news18.com
LIVE RENDER
news18.com

Automated page render — captured in a safe sandbox. What an ordinary visitor would see when loading the site. See full visual analysis →

Visual analysis

We capture a fresh screenshot of the live page and ask a vision model to look for scam visual patterns — fake trust badges, countdown timers, overlay pop-ups, and visual clones of legitimate brands.

50
/ 100
Visual inspection

Visual similarities noted — cleared by the overall checks

Our vision model noted some visual similarity to a known brand, but the domain, security records, and reputation checks confirm this is the legitimate site — so this is shown for transparency, not as a red flag.

Visual similarity50/100

What our vision model saw

1 signal

Page renders an Access Denied error message

Intelligence

Advanced threat intelligence
Analysis
Low scam likelihoodengineMT · Guardiantrust95/100
MT AgentLive web researchVisual inspection
0%
Confidence
The domain has been registered for over 27 years, which is a primary indicator of an established and stable organization. Our analysis confirms it is owned by Network18 Media & Investments Limited, a publicly traded company in India. The site maintains a clean record across our antivirus network with zero detections from over 90 security engines. While a technical access denial was noted in the screenshot, this is a common server-side behavior for high-traffic sites using global content delivery networks and does not indicate a security risk. The site's high global traffic ranking further confirms its status as a major legitimate entity.
Full dossier
Analysis complete

Page Content

The site is the digital home of CNN-News18 and the broader Network18 group. It provides real-time news coverage, video content, and editorial pieces. Although some automated scans may encounter technical blocks due to the site's high-security firewall, the content is verified as legitimate journalism.

Infrastructure

The domain is hosted on professional-grade infrastructure utilizing Akamai Edgesuite for global content delivery. It uses a valid SSL certificate and maintains a neutral IP reputation with no history of abuse reports.

Domain History

Registered in 1996, this domain is older than most modern web services. It has a consistent history of ownership by the same media conglomerate, which is a strong signal against the ephemeral nature of scam sites.

Web Reputation

The site is recognized as a top-tier news source globally. It holds a significant traffic rank and is cited by major independent review aggregators as a reliable and legitimate platform. There are no credible reports of phishing or malware associated with this domain.
Risk Factors
1
  • The screenshot showed a technical access denial, though this is typical for high-traffic sites protecting against automated crawlers.
Positive Signals
5
  • Domain age of over 27 years indicates long-term stability.
  • Zero detections across 92 antivirus engines in our network.
  • Verified ownership by a major, publicly traded media corporation.
  • High global traffic ranking within the top 100,000 sites.
  • Active business registration and transparent corporate structure.
AI Recommendation
This site is safe to use. It is a legitimate news organization and does not pose a security risk to visitors.
Next-gen fraud intelligence
Evidence-backedCross-checked

Web Research Findings

Our live research agent queries scam-report databases, consumer-review sites, news coverage, and general web search for news18.com, then cross-checks business-registration records and look-alike domain patterns. Everything below is pulled from what it actually found.

Business registration
Active · India
Site traces back to an actively registered business.
Clone check
Not a clone
No well-known site's layout or branding detected here.
Typosquat check
No look-alike match
The domain doesn't resemble any well-known brand's spelling.
Web mentions
1 scam report · 2 positive
Key findings
7 headline facts from open-web research
  • Domain news18.com belongs to Network18 Media & Investments Limited, a major Indian media company (CIN L65910MH1996PLC280969, incorporated 1996, active, Reliance-owned).
  • ScamAdviser states: 'news18.com is very likely not a scam but legit and reliable.'
  • Site maintains official complaint redressal page for content issues under News Broadcasters Association regulations.
  • Company publishes fraud alerts warning job seekers about fake recruitment offers impersonating Network18.
  • No scam reports, fraud complaints, or phishing allegations targeting the domain itself found in searches.
  • Wikipedia notes past internal controversy over fake Twitter comments on air (apologized for).
  • Google Play app has 3.3/5 rating from 43.8K reviews, primarily app functionality complaints (not domain scam).
Scam reports (1)
Direct quotes from public scam databases, forums, and news.
  • ScamAdviseropen

    "In summary, news18.com is very likely not a scam but legit and reliable."

Business registration
Status: active · India

Network18 Media & Investments Limited (CIN: L65910MH1996PLC280969), incorporated Feb 16, 1996, registered with Registrar of Companies Mumbai, public limited company, active status, owned by Reliance Industries (56.89% share).

Research summary
Narrative write-up from our AI analyst, grounded on the facts above
We conducted a thorough search of scam-report databases and consumer-review sites for news18.com. Our research found that the domain is owned by Network18 Media & Investments Limited, an active company incorporated in 1996. Independent trust aggregators confirm the site is legitimate and reliable. No credible scam reports or fraud complaints were found targeting this domain.

Domain Timeline

  1. Apr 7, 1999
    Domain registered

    First appeared in WHOIS records — 27 years old today.

  2. Jul 6, 2026
    Latest security review — Reviewed as safe

    This scan re-ran every check and found no active threat signals.

news18.com has operated for years with no threat signals in this review — a long, stable track record, though it is never a guarantee on its own.

Threat Detection

Antivirus Engines

Clean pass · verified
Clean across 92 engines

We cross-check every URL against our antivirus network of 92 malware and blacklist engines. None of them flagged this URL in the last scan.

0Malicious0Suspicious60Harmless92Engines
Clean
Kaspersky
Clean
Bitdefender
Clean
Microsoft
Not in pass
ESET-NOD32
Not in pass
Avira
Not in pass
Sophos
Clean
Fortinet
Clean
Google Safebrowsing
Clean
Emsisoft
Clean

No engine detections. The URL passed every antivirus and blacklist engine we queried in this scan. Stay vigilant — AV coverage is only one signal among many.

Security Scans

Blacklist Check
Not flagged on major threat lists

Checked against the major public blocklists used by browsers and security tools — no hits.

Reputation Sources

How this domain rates across independent threat-intelligence and blocklist providers.

Google Safe Browsing
Not listedCheck ↗
VirusTotal
Not listedCheck ↗
AbuseIPDB
Not listedCheck ↗

Technical Details

Domain & Encryption

Domain History
Age27 years old
RegistrarPDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com
RegisteredApr 7, 1999
ExpiresApr 7, 2031
Owner privacyVisible
Encryption Certificate
StatusValid
ProtocolTLSv1.3
IssuerLet's Encrypt · R13
ExpiresJul 22, 2026 (15d)
Self-signedNo
Hosting & Technology
HostingAkamai Technologies, Inc.
Server locationUS
PopularityTop 100k worldwide

Server Reputation

Abuse Intelligence
Confidence score0%
Reports on file0
ISPAkamai Technologies, Inc.
Usage typeData Center/Web Hosting/Transit

What to do

Still, stay alert

No major threat indicators — but a clean scan does not guarantee every page is safe, and phishing emails routinely spoof real domains.

  • Double-check the exact URL in your address bar

    Confirm you are actually on news18.com and not a lookalike like n-ews18.com.com or an IDN homoglyph.

  • Use a password manager

    Password managers only auto-fill on the exact domain they were saved for — they refuse to fill lookalike domains, which is the single best phishing defence.

  • Discuss this site on the forum

    If you have first-hand experience with this site — good or bad — share it with the MalwareTips community.

    Open

Final Verdict

0
Trust / 100
Final Verdict·news18.com
SAFE

This is the official website for News18, a major Indian news network owned by Network18 Media & Investments Limited. It is a legitimate, long-standing media outlet with no signs of fraudulent activity. You can browse this site safely.

This site is safe to use. It is a legitimate news organization and does not pose a security risk to visitors.

AV engines
92
MT passes
2
Net signals
0
Scan another URL
Security review completemalwaretips.com/url-scan

Safety FAQ

Common questions about this site, answered directly from the scan data above — so the answers always reflect the latest verdict on this page.

  • Our automated security review found no threat indicators on news18.com. The site appears legitimate based on the signals we checked, but always stay alert for phishing emails that spoof real domains.
  • news18.com passed our automated security checks with a trust score of 97/100. No antivirus engines or major blacklists flagged the site at the time of the last scan.
  • Yes. news18.com presents a valid TLSv1.3 certificate issued by Let's Encrypt · R13, expiring in 15 days. Note that SSL only encrypts the connection — it does not guarantee that the site itself is trustworthy.
  • news18.com is 27.3 years old, registered on 4/7/1999 through PDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com. Scam domains are often freshly registered — a site under 6 months old warrants extra caution.
  • No. All 92 antivirus engines in our malware network report news18.com as clean.
  • No. news18.com is not currently listed on the major browser blocklist feeds that modern browsers use.
  • news18.com resolves to an IP operated by Akamai Technologies, Inc. in US (usage type: Data Center/Web Hosting/Transit). Hosting location alone doesn't make a site good or bad, but unusual geography for a brand's claimed country is one of many signals we weigh.
  • Yes. news18.com sits in the global top-100k on Cloudflare Radar, which means it has substantial real-world traffic. That does not automatically make it safe, but established brands almost always rank here and throwaway scam domains almost never do.
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This report is generated automatically by combining threat intelligence, domain signals, and an AI security analyst. It is informational, not legal advice. Always use your own judgement before sharing personal information or money online.