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Is crestmark.com a Scam? Security Check Results - Pathward Reviews

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Is crestmark.com Safe? Security Analysis for Pathward

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FinanceUnited Stateslarge
Google Tag ManagerAdobe Experience Manager (AEM)Adobe LaunchMarketoGoogle reCAPTCHA+3 more
Analyzed 8/1/2025Completed 9:13:12 AM
74
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Pathward is a federally registered financial institution focused on powering financial inclusion by providing banking infrastructure, technology partnerships, and commercial finance solutions. The company positions itself as a disruptor in traditional banking, targeting third-party partners and businesses to deliver innovative banking programs. The website reflects a mature digital presence with comprehensive content, clear navigation, and professional branding. Technically, the site leverages Adobe Experience Manager, Google Tag Manager, Marketo, and other modern tools, ensuring good performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, security headers, and reCAPTCHA integration, although explicit security policies and incident response details are not published. The absence of WHOIS data is a notable gap, but external references and branding suggest legitimacy. Overall, the site is trustworthy and well-maintained, serving a large finance sector audience.

Detected Technologies

Google Tag ManagerAdobe Experience Manager (AEM)Adobe LaunchMarketoGoogle reCAPTCHALinkedIn Insight TagBoomerang (Akamai)CookieLaw.org Consent Banner

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Pathward operates in the finance sector, specializing in banking as a service and commercial finance. Its business model revolves around partnering with third parties to deliver banking programs and financial solutions. The company targets businesses needing financial infrastructure and individuals seeking financial inclusion. The presence of investor relations and careers sections indicates a sizable and growing organization. Partnerships with entities like Crestmark and various technology providers enhance its ecosystem. The company emphasizes financial inclusion and innovation, positioning itself competitively in the banking industry.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a solid security posture with enforced HTTPS, use of security headers, and integration of Google reCAPTCHA to protect forms. Cookie consent mechanisms are implemented, supporting privacy compliance. However, the site lacks publicly available detailed security policies, incident response plans, or vulnerability disclosure programs. No direct security contact emails were found, which could hinder incident reporting. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the HTML content. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be improved by publishing more explicit security governance information.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response information page to enhance transparency.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Pathward

Description:

Pathward powers financial inclusion for all and is committed to providing a path for people and businesses to reach the next stage of their financial journey. It is a federally registered financial institution offering banking infrastructure, technology partnerships, and commercial finance solutions.

Key Services:
Partner SolutionsCommercial FinanceBanking InfrastructureIssuing SolutionsAcquiring SolutionsDigital PaymentsCredit SolutionsProfessional Tax Solutions
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Google Tag ManagerAdobe Experience Manager (AEM)Adobe LaunchMarketoGoogle reCAPTCHALinkedIn Insight TagBoomerang (Akamai)CookieLaw.org Consent Banner
Frameworks:
Adobe Experience Manager
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of reCAPTCHA for forms
  • Cookie consent mechanism
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of security headers

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google Analytics (via GTM)Adobe Analytics (AppMeasurement)Marketo Munchkin
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
LinkedIn InsightMarketo Munchkin
Marketing Tools:
Adobe LaunchMarketo
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 professionally designed and well-structured

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

85/100
Score

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

58/100
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

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 mx include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:gateways.firstdata.com exists:%{i}._spf.mta.salesforce.com include:spf1.pathward.com include:spf.cashedge.com ~all
DNS Lookups:6/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:selector1(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc@pathward.com
Forensic Reports:security@pathward

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

62/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Enabled

📊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

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

DNS Records

A Records:23.3.91.156, 23.3.91.163
Name Servers:
a1-205.akam.netDNS only
a11-66.akam.netDNS only
a2-67.akam.netDNS only
a22-64.akam.netDNS only
a6-65.akam.netDNS only
a7-66.akam.netDNS only
MX Records:
10: pathward-com.mail.protection.outlook.com

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 mx include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:gateways.firstdata.com exists:%{i}._spf.mta.salesforce.com include:spf1.pathward.com include:spf.cashedge.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 is built on Adobe Experience Manager, a robust enterprise CMS, ensuring scalability and content management efficiency. It uses Google Tag Manager, Adobe Launch, Marketo, and LinkedIn Insight for analytics and marketing automation. The hosting appears to leverage Akamai CDN services, contributing to fast load times and global availability. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and accessibility features. Performance monitoring scripts like Boomerang are in use. The technical stack is modern and well-integrated, supporting a professional user experience and effective digital marketing. Opportunities exist to further enhance security transparency and data protection disclosures.
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