Is berkeley.edu Safe? Security Analysis for University of California, Berkeley
Check if berkeley.edu is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
The University of California, Berkeley website serves as the official digital presence of a leading public research university in the United States. It offers comprehensive information about academic programs, research initiatives, campus life, admissions, and financial aid. The site targets prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the general public, emphasizing its position as a top-ranked institution with a rich history and global impact. The business model centers on education, research, and community engagement within the public university sector. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern plugins such as Yoast SEO and integrates Google Tag Manager for analytics. It employs responsive design, accessibility features, and SEO best practices, ensuring a high-quality user experience across devices. The site uses HTTPS with strong SSL configuration, although some security headers are not explicitly detected. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found. From a security perspective, the site demonstrates good practices including secure forms and encrypted connections. However, it lacks explicit incident response contacts and a vulnerability disclosure policy, which are recommended for enhanced transparency and security posture. Privacy compliance is indicated by the presence of a comprehensive privacy policy, though a cookie consent mechanism is not clearly implemented. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained, reflecting the stature of UC Berkeley. The absence of WHOIS data for the queried subdomain does not detract from the legitimacy, given the authoritative content and branding. Strategic recommendations include improving security headers, publishing security policies, and enhancing cookie consent to align with best practices and regulatory requirements.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
UC Berkeley holds a dominant market position as the #1 public research university in the U.S., with a broad portfolio of over 300 degree programs and extensive research activities. Its competitive advantage lies in its academic excellence, Nobel laureates on faculty, and a strong global reputation. Revenue streams primarily come from tuition, research grants, donations, and public funding. The target customer segments include undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and academic collaborators worldwide. The university maintains a robust partnership ecosystem with affiliated research units, extension programs, and community initiatives. Operationally, the institution leverages digital platforms to engage stakeholders and disseminate knowledge effectively.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and no visible exposure of sensitive data. Use of secure forms and modern JavaScript libraries reduces risk. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security represents an area for improvement. There is no publicly available incident response or vulnerability disclosure information, which could hinder timely reporting and mitigation of security issues. GDPR compliance is partially addressed via a privacy policy, but cookie consent mechanisms are lacking. Overall, the security culture appears sound but could benefit from enhanced transparency and policy publication.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security to harden the site against common web attacks.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
University of California, Berkeley
UC Berkeley pushes the boundaries of knowledge, challenges convention and expands opportunity to create the leaders of tomorrow.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
excellent
good
excellent
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Use of secure forms with proper labels
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is fully accessible with rich content and multimedia.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
HIGHForces HTTPS connections
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 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, banking, health, digital
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
Complex SPF record
LOWToo many include statements can cause lookup limits
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'google' uses 240-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'mail' uses 880-bit key
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
Certificate Transparency Not Implemented
LOWCertificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs
SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days
MEDIUMSSL certificate expires in 78 days
Weak SSL Key Length
HIGHSSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak
Mixed Content Detected
MEDIUM6 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 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