Is adstandards.com Safe? Security Analysis for Advertising Standards Canada
Check if adstandards.com is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
Advertising Standards Canada operates as a non-profit organization dedicated to administering and enforcing the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. It serves as the authoritative body for advertising compliance in Canada, providing complaint handling, preclearance services, and educational resources to the advertising industry and consumers. The organization is well-established with a domain age of over 20 years and is supported by leading Canadian organizations. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand image with clear navigation and relevant content targeting advertising professionals and consumers interested in advertising standards. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with a modern tech stack including jQuery and SiteOrigin widgets, hosted on Cogent Communications infrastructure. Performance and mobile optimization are good, with accessibility and SEO features implemented adequately. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and domain transfer protections in place, though improvements can be made by enabling DNSSEC and adding security headers. Privacy compliance is basic, with a privacy policy present but lacking a cookie consent mechanism despite Google Analytics usage. Overall, the website is trustworthy and credible, with room for enhancements in security and privacy transparency.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
The organization holds a strong market position as the leading self-regulatory body for advertising standards in Canada. Its business model relies on membership fees and service charges for preclearance and compliance programs. The target audience includes advertising industry professionals, regulatory bodies, and consumers. The company maintains active communication channels through social media and publishes reports and advisories to maintain transparency and industry engagement. The website's content and structure support its mission effectively, with clear calls to action for complaint submission, membership information, and educational resources. Partnerships and related domains focus on clearance services, reinforcing its service ecosystem. The absence of direct contact emails or phone numbers on the homepage suggests a controlled communication approach, likely to manage inquiries efficiently.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website demonstrates a moderate to good security maturity level. HTTPS is properly configured, and domain status flags prevent unauthorized domain transfers or updates. However, the lack of DNSSEC and missing security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options represent areas for improvement. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. The use of Google Analytics includes an opt-out mechanism, indicating some attention to user privacy. The absence of a published security policy or incident response contact channels limits transparency in security governance. Overall, the security posture is adequate for the organization's profile but could be enhanced to meet higher compliance standards and user trust expectations.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Enable DNSSEC on the domain to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Advertising Standards Canada
Advertising Standards Canada is a non-profit organization that administers the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. It provides services such as advertising preclearance, complaint handling, and compliance programs to ensure responsible advertising practices in Canada.
good
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
good
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced with valid SSL
- Domain status includes clientTransferProhibited and clientUpdateProhibited to prevent unauthorized changes
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Use of Google Analytics with opt-out mechanism
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is professionally designed and well-structured.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
HIGHForces HTTPS connections
Missing X-Frame-Options header
HIGHPrevents clickjacking attacks
Missing X-Content-Type-Options header
MEDIUMPrevents MIME type sniffing
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
Missing Permissions-Policy header
MEDIUMControls browser features and APIs
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: energy, transport, health, 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 DKIM record found
MEDIUMDKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails
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
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 52 days
Mixed Content Detected
MEDIUM2 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 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
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
DNS Performance
SPF Analysis
⚡Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis.
Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis
Good Network Security Posture
LOWNo unnecessary services detected on common risky ports
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings