Is aboutpoliticalads.org Safe? Security Analysis for Domains By Proxy, LLC
Check if aboutpoliticalads.org is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
AboutPoliticalAds.org is a US-based informational website focused on providing transparency tools for political advertisements and election campaign data. The site offers a searchable map linking users to election authorities and campaign databases across US states and territories, aiming to enhance voter trust and accountability. The platform operates as a small, likely non-profit entity, leveraging publicly available data to empower citizens in researching political candidates and advertisers. Technically, the website is built on Drupal 7, utilizing common web technologies such as jQuery, Google Analytics with IP anonymization, and hosted on SiteGround. The site demonstrates moderate digital maturity with good mobile optimization and basic accessibility features. Security posture is adequate with HTTPS enabled and privacy protection for domain registration; however, it lacks advanced security headers and explicit privacy or cookie policies. No contact or incident response information is provided, which limits transparency in security and compliance aspects. Overall, the website is trustworthy and professional in its domain but would benefit from enhanced privacy compliance and security practices.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
The website occupies a niche position in the government and non-profit sector, focusing on political ad transparency and voter information. Its business model centers on providing free access to election-related data and tools, targeting US voters and civic-minded individuals. The platform's competitive advantage lies in its comprehensive state-by-state database access and user-friendly searchable map. Revenue streams are not explicit but likely rely on grants or donations typical for non-profit initiatives. The partnership ecosystem includes domain privacy services and hosting providers but no direct commercial partners are evident. Growth indicators include domain longevity since 2017 and consistent content updates. Strategic observations suggest opportunities to expand contact channels, improve compliance documentation, and enhance security posture to build greater trust and user engagement.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website maintains a basic security maturity level with HTTPS enforced and Google Analytics configured for IP anonymization. However, it lacks critical security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-XSS-Protection, which are recommended to mitigate common web vulnerabilities. The absence of a security.txt file or vulnerability disclosure policy limits the site's readiness for incident response and external security reporting. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the provided content. The lack of contact information for security incidents reduces transparency and may hinder timely response to threats. Compliance with GDPR or other privacy regulations is minimal due to missing privacy and cookie policies. Overall, the security posture is functional but requires improvements to align with best practices and regulatory expectations.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
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
Domains By Proxy, LLC
The Political Ads Program provides tools for citizens to research registered political candidates and advertisers who are associated with an online political ad—and keep them accountable.
good
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
basic
basic
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enabled
- Google Analytics IP anonymization enabled
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is accessible and not blocked by WAF or security challenges
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
HIGHForces HTTPS connections
Weak X-Content-Type-Options configuration
LOWCurrent value: "nosniff, nosniff"
Missing Content-Security-Policy header
HIGHControls resources the browser is allowed to load
Missing X-XSS-Protection header
MEDIUMLegacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)
Missing Referrer-Policy header
LOWControls referrer information sent with requests
Sensitive data may be cached
LOWCache-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
No Cookie Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires clear information about cookie usage
No Cookie Consent Banner found
HIGHGDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies
No Data Protection Officer mentioned
LOWLarge organizations may need to designate a DPO under GDPR
Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant
MEDIUMPrivacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements
GDPR Compliance Analysis
🛡️NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.
NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive
No information security framework found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures
No vulnerability disclosure policy
MEDIUMNIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure
No security policy documentation found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management
No incident response procedures found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans
No business continuity planning found
MEDIUMNIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity
No security contact information
HIGHNIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels
No vulnerability reporting mechanism
MEDIUMClear vulnerability reporting supports coordinated disclosure
No NIS2 reference found
LOWConsider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts
Critical sector without clear security compliance
HIGHDetected sectors: transport, digital
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
DMARC not enforcing
MEDIUMDMARC policy is set to "none"
No DMARC reporting
LOWDMARC aggregate reports not configured
No BIMI Record
LOWBIMI displays brand logos in email clients
No MTA-STS Policy
MEDIUMMTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery
No TLS-RPT Record
LOWTLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues
SPF Details
DKIM Selectors Found
DMARC Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
Weak Protocols Supported
HIGHServer supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1
OCSP Stapling Not Enabled
LOWOCSP stapling improves performance and privacy
Certificate Transparency Not Implemented
LOWCertificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs
SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days
MEDIUMSSL certificate expires in 37 days
Mixed Content Detected
MEDIUM1 resources loaded over insecure HTTP
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Protocol Support
OCSP Status
📊DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment.
DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment
DNSSEC Not Enabled
MEDIUMDNSSEC is not configured for this domain
CAA Records Not Configured
LOWCertificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found
Domain Transfer Lock Not Enabled
MEDIUMDomain can be transferred without authorization
Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled
LOWDomain can be deleted without additional verification
DMARC Policy Set to None
LOWDMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy
Domain Registration Details
- •No domain protection locks enabled
- •Privacy/proxy registration detected
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
DNS Performance
SPF Analysis
⚡Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis.
Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis
High-Risk Service Exposed: FTP
HIGHPort 21 (FTP) is publicly accessible - FTP - Often unencrypted file transfer
Critical Service Exposed: MySQL
CRITICALPort 3306 (MySQL) is publicly accessible - MySQL - Database server
Critical Service Exposed: PostgreSQL
CRITICALPort 5432 (PostgreSQL) is publicly accessible - PostgreSQL - Database server
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings