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Is caltech.edu a Scam? Security Check Results - California Institute of Technology Reviews

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Is caltech.edu Safe? Security Analysis for California Institute of Technology

Check if caltech.edu is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

EducationUnited Stateslarge
jQueryBootstrap 4Google AnalyticsFacebook PixelHotjar+3 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 9:27:01 PM
69
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a prestigious educational institution focused on advancing human knowledge through integrated research and education. The website serves a diverse audience including students, faculty, researchers, alumni, and the general public, offering comprehensive information on academic programs, research initiatives, campus resources, and institutional values. Caltech maintains a strong market position as a leading global research university with a large institutional size and a well-established reputation. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies such as Bootstrap, jQuery, and Wagtail CMS, alongside analytics tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and Hotjar. The site is well-optimized for mobile devices, accessible, and SEO-friendly, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure. The use of HTTPS and security headers indicates a strong security posture, although explicit security policy and incident response pages are not publicly available. Security-wise, the site demonstrates good practices including encrypted connections, content security policies, and anonymized analytics data. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Privacy compliance is robust with clear privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms in place. The absence of WHOIS data is noted but is typical for .edu domains and does not detract from the site's legitimacy. Overall, Caltech's website is professional, trustworthy, and secure, supporting its role as a leading educational institution. Strategic recommendations include publishing detailed security policies and incident response information to enhance transparency and trust further.

Detected Technologies

jQueryBootstrap 4Google AnalyticsFacebook PixelHotjarMathJaxApexChartsDataTables

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Caltech operates in the education sector with a focus on research and academic excellence. Its business model centers on providing undergraduate and graduate education, conducting cutting-edge research, and engaging with alumni and donors. The institution benefits from a strong brand and a broad partnership ecosystem, including various subdomains and affiliated sites that support different operational areas such as human resources, alumni relations, and campus access. Caltech's market positioning is that of a top-tier research university with significant influence in science and technology fields. Growth indicators include active research impact initiatives and technology transfer programs. The website content and structure reflect a well-organized and mature institution with a clear strategic focus on innovation and societal benefit.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Email Addresses (3)

i*****@caltech.edu
a*****@caltech.edu
c*****@caltech.edu

Phone Numbers (2)

+1626395****
+1626395****

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

Caltech's website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and multiple security headers implemented, including Content Security Policy and Strict-Transport-Security. The use of anonymized IP tracking in analytics and the absence of exposed sensitive information indicate good data protection practices. However, the lack of publicly available security policies, incident response plans, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms suggests room for improvement in transparency and preparedness. No critical vulnerabilities or malware indicators were found. The site uses reputable third-party analytics and tracking services, which are managed with privacy considerations. Overall, the security maturity is high but could be enhanced by publishing formal security documentation and response procedures.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and standards.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

California Institute of Technology

Description:

The California Institute of Technology aims to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education.

Key Services:
Undergraduate StudiesGraduate StudiesResearchPublicationsCampus VisitsTechnology Transfer
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
jQueryBootstrap 4Google AnalyticsFacebook PixelHotjarMathJaxApexChartsDataTables
Frameworks:
Bootstrap
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Anonymize IP in Google Analytics
  • Use of Content Security Policy
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsHotjarFacebook Pixel
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Facebook PixelHotjar
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is fully accessible with rich content and navigation

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

70/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

Sensitive data may be cached

LOW

Cache-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

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

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

70/100
Score

Complex SPF record

LOW

Too many include statements can cause lookup limits

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 ip4:131.215.0.0/16 ip4:134.4.0.0/16 ip4:192.100.16.0/24 ip4:198.129.208.0/23 ip4:208.69.128.0/22 ip4:199.188.184.0/22 ip4:198.202.125.128/25 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:sendgrid.net include:mktomail.com include:spf.dynect.net include:cust-spf.cashnet.com include:amazonses.com include:_spf.createsend.com include:_s0.caltech.edu ?all
DNS Lookups:8/10
Policy:?all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:default(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:k2(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:selector1(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:selector2(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:6e39dba0@mxtoolbox.dmarc-report.com
Forensic Reports:6e39dba0@forensics.dmarc-report.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

90/100
Score

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

197 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:oscweb.caltech.edu
Issuer:InCommon RSA Server CA 2
Valid Until:5/22/2026 (259 days)
SANs:oscweb.caltech.edu, *.oscweb-test.caltech.edu, *.oscweb.caltech.edu +27 more

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

65/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

Weak SPF Policy

HIGH

SPF record has permissive policy allowing any server to send email

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Expiry Risk
none(692 days)

DNS Records

A Records:52.26.125.194
Name Servers:
ns0090.secondary.cloudflare.comDNS only
ns0239.secondary.cloudflare.comDNS only
MX Records:
10: mx1.caltech.iphmx.com
10: mx2.caltech.iphmx.com
SOA:Serial: 2022896476, TTL: 900s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:41ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 ip4:131.215.0.0/16 ip4:134.4.0.0/16 ip4:192.100.16.0/24 ip4:198.129.208.0/23 ip4:208.69.128.0/22 ip4:199.188.184.0/22 ip4:198.202.125.128/25 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:sendgrid.net include:mktomail.com include:spf.dynect.net include:cust-spf.cashnet.com include:amazonses.com include:_spf.createsend.com include:_s0.caltech.edu ?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

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website is built on a modern technology stack including Wagtail CMS, Bootstrap 4, jQuery, and various JavaScript libraries for enhanced interactivity and data visualization. It integrates analytics and tracking tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and Hotjar, which are configured with privacy considerations like IP anonymization. The site demonstrates good performance and mobile optimization, with responsive design and accessibility features. SEO is well addressed through proper meta tags and structured data. The technical infrastructure supports a large, content-rich site with complex navigation and multiple subdomains. Opportunities exist to improve hosting transparency and to monitor third-party dependencies for security and performance optimization.
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