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Is cornell.edu a Scam? Security Check Results - Cornell University Reviews

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Is cornell.edu Safe? Security Analysis for Cornell University

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

EducationUnited Stateslarge
Google Tag ManagerGoogle Analytics (Universal and GA4)jQuery 1.10.2Typekit FontsSiteimprove Analytics+4 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 12:31:59 AM
67
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Cornell University is a prestigious private research university offering comprehensive undergraduate, graduate, and professional education across multiple campuses including Ithaca, New York City, and Doha, Qatar. The institution is well-positioned as an Ivy League university with a strong emphasis on research, public engagement, and global impact. The website reflects this stature with rich content, multimedia integration, and clear navigation targeting students, faculty, alumni, and the general public. Technically, the site employs modern web technologies such as Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Typekit fonts, and Kaltura video players, ensuring a robust digital presence. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced and no visible vulnerabilities, although some security headers could be enhanced. Privacy compliance is well addressed with comprehensive policies and cookie consent mechanisms. Overall, the site demonstrates high professionalism, trustworthiness, and digital maturity.

Detected Technologies

Google Tag ManagerGoogle Analytics (Universal and GA4)jQuery 1.10.2Typekit FontsSiteimprove AnalyticsKaltura Video PlayerImager.jsModernizrcookie-monster.js

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Cornell University operates in the education sector as a large, essential entity with a global footprint. Its business model centers on delivering high-quality education and research services, supported by extensive public engagement and continuing education programs. The university maintains a strong brand with consistent messaging and a broad partnership ecosystem reflected in numerous subdomains and affiliated sites. The website's integration with social media and analytics tools indicates a mature marketing and outreach strategy. The absence of WHOIS data is a minor anomaly but does not detract from the institution's credibility given its well-known status.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Physical Addresses (1)

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, absence of exposed sensitive data, and use of controlled third-party scripts. However, explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy and Referrer-Policy are not detected and could be implemented to enhance protection against common web threats. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure information is publicly available, which is common for educational institutions but could be improved for transparency. Overall, the site is secure with room for incremental improvements.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement a strict Content-Security-Policy header to mitigate cross-site scripting risks.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Cornell University

Description:

Cornell University is a private research university that provides an exceptional education for undergraduates and graduate and professional students. Cornell's colleges and schools encompass more than 100 fields of study, with locations in Ithaca, New York, New York City and Doha, Qatar.

Key Services:
Undergraduate educationGraduate educationResearchPublic engagementContinuing educationSummer and winter sessions
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Google Tag ManagerGoogle Analytics (Universal and GA4)jQuery 1.10.2Typekit FontsSiteimprove AnalyticsKaltura Video PlayerImager.jsModernizrcookie-monster.js
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • Use of HTTPS
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No inline sensitive credentials
  • Use of Google Tag Manager for controlled script loading

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google Analytics (Universal Analytics)Google Analytics 4Siteimprove Analytics
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Siteimprove Analytics
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 multimedia.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

15/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-Frame-Options header

HIGH

Prevents clickjacking attacks

Missing X-Content-Type-Options header

MEDIUM

Prevents MIME type sniffing

Missing Content-Security-Policy header

HIGH

Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

Missing Referrer-Policy header

LOW

Controls referrer information sent with requests

Missing Permissions-Policy header

MEDIUM

Controls browser features and APIs

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

47/100
Score

No vulnerability disclosure policy

MEDIUM

NIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure

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

75/100
Score

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 ip4:128.253.150.144/30 ip4:128.253.150.158 ip4:128.253.150.176 ip4:128.253.150.177 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:_spf.qualtrics.com ?all
DNS Lookups:3/10
Policy:?all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:selector2(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

90/100
Score

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

6 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:www.cornell.edu
Issuer:GeoTrust Global TLS RSA4096 SHA256 2022 CA1
Valid Until:1/30/2026 (147 days)
SANs:www.cornell.edu

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

70/100
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

DNS Records

A Records:128.253.173.245, 128.253.173.241, 128.253.173.246, 128.253.173.244, 128.253.173.242, 128.253.173.243
Name Servers:
bigred.cit.cornell.eduDNS only
cudns.cit.cornell.eduDNS only
dns.cit.cornell.eduDNS only
drdns.cit.cornell.eduDNS only
drdns2.cit.cornell.eduDNS only
MX Records:
0: cornell-edu.mail.protection.outlook.com

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 ip4:128.253.150.144/30 ip4:128.253.150.158 ip4:128.253.150.176 ip4:128.253.150.177 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:_spf.qualtrics.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

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website uses a combination of modern JavaScript libraries and analytics tools, including Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics (both Universal and GA4), jQuery, and Siteimprove Analytics. Fonts are served via Adobe Typekit, and video content is delivered through Kaltura. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and accessibility considerations. Performance is moderate, with some deferred loading of videos and images to improve load times. The absence of a detected CMS suggests a custom or proprietary platform. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports a high-quality user experience but could benefit from enhanced security headers and performance optimizations.
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