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Is aaf.org a Scam? Security Check Results - American Advertising Federation Reviews

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Is aaf.org Safe? Security Analysis for American Advertising Federation

Check if aaf.org is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

MediaUnited Stateslarge
ASP.NET WebFormsjQueryTelerik UIMicrosoft Application InsightsGoogle Analytics+1 more
Analyzed 9/4/2025Completed 12:32:02 AM
72
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The American Advertising Federation (AAF) is a well-established non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the advertising industry through advocacy, professional development, and recognition programs. The website serves as a comprehensive portal for members, students, educators, and corporate partners, offering resources, event information, and industry news. The organization's market position is strong, supported by a long domain history and visible corporate partnerships. Technically, the website is built on a mature ASP.NET WebForms platform with Telerik UI components, enhanced by modern analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Microsoft Application Insights. The site demonstrates good mobile optimization and accessibility features, although some improvements in security headers and DNSSEC could enhance its security posture. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS and employs telemetry for monitoring but lacks some advanced security headers and a public vulnerability disclosure policy. The WHOIS data aligns well with the organization's identity, reinforcing trust and legitimacy. Overall, the site presents a professional, trustworthy, and content-rich experience with moderate tracking and analytics usage. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, enabling DNSSEC, and publishing explicit security and incident response policies to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Detected Technologies

ASP.NET WebFormsjQueryTelerik UIMicrosoft Application InsightsGoogle AnalyticsBootstrap

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

AAF operates as a large non-profit entity within the media sector, focusing on advertising professionals and students. Its revenue streams likely include membership fees, event registrations, sponsorships, and educational programs. The organization maintains a broad partnership ecosystem with major corporations like Google, LinkedIn, Meta, and Amazon Ads, enhancing its industry influence. Growth indicators include active event calendars, awards programs, and scholarship offerings. The website's content and structure reflect a mature digital presence aligned with its business objectives.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Phone Numbers (1)

202*******

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website exhibits a good security maturity level with enforced HTTPS and clientTransferProhibited domain status. However, the absence of DNSSEC and Content Security Policy headers indicates room for improvement. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. The lack of a public security policy or incident response contact reduces transparency. Compliance with GDPR is limited, as no explicit cookie consent mechanism or data protection officer information is provided. Overall, the security posture is solid but could benefit from enhanced transparency and technical controls.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC on the domain to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

American Advertising Federation

Description:

The American Advertising Federation (AAF) is a national organization representing the advertising industry, providing advocacy, professional development, events, awards, and resources for advertising professionals, students, and educators.

Key Services:
Membership servicesProfessional development eventsAdvertising awards competitionsAdvocacy and government affairsEducational resources and scholarships
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
ASP.NET WebFormsjQueryTelerik UIMicrosoft Application InsightsGoogle AnalyticsBootstrap
Frameworks:
ASP.NETBootstrap
Platforms:
Windows Server (implied by ASP.NET)Azure Application Insights
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
75/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Domain status clientTransferProhibited
  • No cookies usage disabled in Application Insights
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsMicrosoft Application InsightsFeathr
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Microsoft Application InsightsFeathr
Marketing Tools:
Feathr analytics
Transparency Level:basic

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is a professional non-profit organization site for the American Advertising Federation.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

75/100
Score

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

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

73/100
Score

No Cookie Policy found

HIGH

GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

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

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

75/100
Score

DMARC not enforcing

MEDIUM

DMARC policy is set to "none"

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 ip4:65.55.169.104 ip4:20.42.31.61 ip4:216.59.108.202 ip4:204.178.115.122 ip4:52.191.235.195 ip4:216.59.108.204 ip4:38.87.83.25 ip4:38.97.195.25 include:_netblocks.mimecast.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:mta.exocloud.com ~all
DNS Lookups:3/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:k2(1416-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc_agg@vali.email

🏆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 80 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:aaf.org
Issuer:E8
Valid Until:11/24/2025 (80 days)
SANs:aaf.org

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

75/100
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

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
29 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(1843 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:104.16.130.63
Name Servers:
ns81.worldnic.com
ns82.worldnic.com
MX Records:
10: us-smtp-inbound-1.mimecast.com
10: us-smtp-inbound-2.mimecast.com

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

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 is built on ASP.NET WebForms with Telerik UI components, indicating a legacy but stable technology stack. It integrates modern analytics and telemetry tools such as Google Analytics, Microsoft Application Insights, and Feathr for performance and user behavior tracking. The site uses Bootstrap for responsive design and jQuery for client-side scripting. Performance is moderate, with room for optimization. The CMS appears to be iMIS, a platform tailored for membership organizations. Technical risks include reliance on older frameworks and missing advanced security headers, which should be addressed to reduce potential vulnerabilities.
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