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Is arc.gov.au a Scam? Security Check Results - Australian Research Council

arc.gov.au Security Report Summary

arc.gov.au received a security score of 54 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Elevated Risk". This report covers Australian Research Council's website security posture. Australian Research Council operates in the Government industry in Australia.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is a key Australian government entity responsible for administering national research funding programs and evaluating research excellence. The website serves as a comprehensive portal for researchers, universities, and government stakeholders to access funding schemes, grant management tools, and research evaluation systems. The ARC maintains a strong market position as a trusted government agency supporting research and innovation in Australia. Technically, the website is built on Drupal 10 and GovCMS, leveraging modern frameworks like Bootstrap and integrating Google Analytics and Tag Manager for analytics. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and professionally designed, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure consistent with government standards. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced, multi-factor authentication for critical systems, and a published security vulnerability disclosure policy. However, the absence of security headers and cookie consent mechanisms indicates areas for improvement in compliance and defense-in-depth. The WHOIS data is privacy protected but consistent with government domain norms, supporting legitimacy. Overall, the ARC website is a high-quality, trustworthy government resource with minor gaps in privacy compliance and security headers. Strategic enhancements in these areas would further strengthen its security posture and user trust.

The security scan identified 19 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: Drupal 10, GovCMS, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Bootstrap, FontAwesome.

About this security scan

Guard performs automated security assessments of websites by analyzing SSL/TLS certificates, HTTP security headers, DNS configuration, email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), GDPR compliance indicators, NIS2 directive compliance, network exposure, and AI-powered business intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

A

Is arc.gov.au Safe? Security Analysis for Australian Research Council

https://arc.gov.au

Check if arc.gov.au is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

GovernmentAustraliamedium
Drupal 10GovCMSGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerBootstrap+1 more
Analyzed 9/7/2025Completed 3:37:12 AM7mo ago
54
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Below Government avg (70)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

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Domainarc.gov.au
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AI Summary

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is a key Australian government entity responsible for administering national research funding programs and evaluating research excellence. The website serves as a comprehensive portal for researchers, universities, and government stakeholders to access funding schemes, grant management tools, and research evaluation systems. The ARC maintains a strong market position as a trusted government agency supporting research and innovation in Australia. Technically, the website is built on Drupal 10 and GovCMS, leveraging modern frameworks like Bootstrap and integrating Google Analytics and Tag Manager for analytics. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and professionally designed, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure consistent with government standards. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced, multi-factor authentication for critical systems, and a published security vulnerability disclosure policy. However, the absence of security headers and cookie consent mechanisms indicates areas for improvement in compliance and defense-in-depth. The WHOIS data is privacy protected but consistent with government domain norms, supporting legitimacy. Overall, the ARC website is a high-quality, trustworthy government resource with minor gaps in privacy compliance and security headers. Strategic enhancements in these areas would further strengthen its security posture and user trust.

Detected Technologies

Drupal 10GovCMSGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerBootstrapFontAwesome

7 urgent findings need attention

1 critical · 6 high

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Security drift alerts

Risk score drops, new high-severity issues, and header hardening gaps

Compliance watch

GDPR / NIS2 posture changes with governance evidence snapshots

Infrastructure surface

Unexpected open services, SSL expiry, DNS & email authentication changes

Content & tracker intelligence

Marketing tech shifts, analytics drift, and AI recommendation updates

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Security Headers

1 finding

0/100

GDPR Compliance

4 findings

53/100

NIS2 Compliance

6 findings

35/100

Email Security

4 findings

80/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

ARC operates as a government funding agency with a focus on research excellence and impact. Its competitive advantage lies in its authoritative role in funding allocation and research evaluation across Australia. The business model is primarily government-funded, targeting academic and research institutions. The website ecosystem includes partner services like RMS, SEER, and Data Portal, enhancing its service delivery. Growth indicators include ongoing funding announcements and strategic policy publications. The ARC's operations are tightly integrated with government frameworks, ensuring stable market presence and influence.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The ARC website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and multi-factor authentication for sensitive systems. The presence of a security vulnerability disclosure policy indicates proactive security management. However, the lack of security headers such as Content Security Policy and HSTS reduces defense-in-depth. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. The absence of direct incident response contact emails and cookie consent mechanisms are compliance gaps. Overall, the security maturity is good but could benefit from enhanced header policies and privacy compliance measures.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement comprehensive security headers including CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Australian Research Council

Description:

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is a Commonwealth entity within the Australian Government established as an independent body supporting the research sector to produce excellent and impactful outcomes for Australia’s economic, social, environmental and cultural benefit.

Key Services:
National Competitive Grants Program administrationResearch funding schemesResearch evaluation (ERA, EI, SEER)Grant management servicesData portal and research insights
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Drupal 10GovCMSGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerBootstrapFontAwesome
Frameworks:
Bootstrap
Platforms:
GovCMS (Australian government hosting platform)
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Multi-factor authentication for RMS and SEER systems
  • Security Vulnerability Disclosure Policy published
  • Anonymize IP in Google Analytics

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsGoogle Tag Manager
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Marketing Tools:
Monsido (accessibility and content monitoring)
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 a professionally maintained Australian government research funding portal.

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

0/100
Score
Analysis failed - content could not be retrieved

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

53/100
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

No Data Protection Officer mentioned

LOW

Large organizations may need to designate a DPO under GDPR

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

35/100
Score

No information security framework found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures

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 NIS2 reference found

LOW

Consider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts

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📧Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

80/100
Score

Complex SPF record

LOW

Too many include statements can cause lookup limits

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 ip4:124.47.154.30 ip4:20.92.89.246 ip4:202.158.222.220 ip4:202.158.222.230 ip4:138.44.172.6 ip4:138.44.161.98 include:mailrelay.t1cloud.com include:stspg-customer.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:spf.dynect.net include:spf1.govcms.gov .au include:_spf.createsend.com include:spf.mandrillapp.com -all
DNS Lookups:7/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:k2(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:selector2(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine
Subdomain Policy:quarantine
Aggregate Reports:arc-dmarc@arc.gov.au
Forensic Reports:arc-dmarc@arc.gov.au

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

0/100
Score

Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

CRITICAL

Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

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

Domain Transfer Lock Not Enabled

MEDIUM

Domain can be transferred without authorization

Domain Registration Details

Protection Level
moderateDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:54.252.75.26, 13.236.242.190, 54.206.239.18
Name Servers:
ns1-03.azure-dns.com
ns2-03.azure-dns.net
ns3-03.azure-dns.org
ns4-03.azure-dns.info
MX Records:
5: arc-gov-au.mail.protection.outlook.com
SOA:Serial: 2005061652, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:101ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 ip4:124.47.154.30 ip4:20.92.89.246 ip4:202.158.222.220 ip4:202.158.222.230 ip4:138.44.172.6 ip4:138.44.161.98 include:mailrelay.t1cloud.com include:stspg-customer.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:spf.dynect.net include:spf1.govcms.gov .au include:_spf.createsend.com include:spf.mandrillapp.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

How does arc.gov.au compare?

See how arc.gov.au stacks up against similar websites in the same industry.

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website uses a modern and robust technical stack based on Drupal 10 and GovCMS, supported by Bootstrap for responsive design. Integration with Google Analytics and Tag Manager enables effective user tracking and analytics. The site is hosted on a government platform ensuring reliability and compliance. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and accessibility features. Technical debt appears low with current technologies, but improvements in security headers and privacy compliance are recommended to reduce risk and enhance user trust.
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Marketing Intelligence

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Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domainarc.gov.au
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

Secure payments processed via EveryPay. Prices in EUR; Incl. 21% VAT.

SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

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