Is crossref.org Safe? Security Analysis for Crossref
https://crossref.orgCheck if crossref.org is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
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SEQ SIA
Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050
Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806
Support: guard@offseq.com • +371 2256 5353
AI Summary
Crossref is a globally recognized non-profit organization that provides open infrastructure to link research objects, entities, and actions, supporting open science and scholarly communication. With a large membership base spanning 23,000 members in 163 countries, Crossref facilitates metadata exchange and supports nearly 2 billion monthly API queries. The website reflects a mature digital presence with comprehensive content, clear navigation, and a professional design tailored to researchers, publishers, and funders. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including Hugo, Bootstrap, jQuery, and Algolia search, combined with analytics and user feedback tools, indicating a well-maintained and performant infrastructure. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and no visible vulnerabilities, though the absence of explicit security policies and incident response information suggests room for improvement. Privacy compliance is strong, with clear privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms in place. Overall, Crossref's website demonstrates high trustworthiness and professionalism, supporting its role as a key player in scholarly metadata services.
Detected Technologies
9 urgent findings need attention
9 high
- + 1 more findings in the full report below
Keep crossref.org under constant watch
Guard tracks your live infrastructure daily: certificate expiry, DNS & mail authentication drift, uptime changes, subdomain inventory, and unexpected tracker or content shifts. A full timeline captures every diff so you can prove remediation and spot regressions instantly.
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
8 findings
15/100
GDPR Compliance
3 findings
68/100
NIS2 Compliance
8 findings
17/100
Email Security
5 findings
70/100
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
Crossref operates as an essential non-profit entity within the education and scholarly publishing sectors, offering critical services such as content registration, grant linking, metadata retrieval, and reference linking. Its business model centers on membership fees and service provision to academic publishers, research funders, and libraries. The organization maintains a strong market position as a leading metadata infrastructure provider, supported by a large and diverse global membership. The website's integration with partner sites and community forums highlights an active ecosystem and collaborative approach. While direct revenue streams are not detailed, the extensive API usage and service portfolio suggest sustainable operational funding. The absence of direct contact emails or phone numbers on the site indicates a preference for controlled communication channels, likely to maintain service quality and security.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website employs HTTPS with an excellent SSL configuration, uses secure and updated external libraries, and avoids exposing sensitive data in its HTML content. However, the lack of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and absence of a published security policy or vulnerability disclosure page represent gaps in transparency and defense-in-depth. No incident response contacts or security-specific communication channels are provided, which could hinder timely reporting and mitigation of security issues. Despite these gaps, no vulnerabilities or suspicious activities were detected, and the use of Matomo analytics with privacy considerations indicates a responsible approach to user data. Enhancing security documentation and implementing recommended headers would strengthen the overall security posture.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Publish a dedicated security policy and vulnerability disclosure page to improve transparency and user trust.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Crossref
Crossref runs open infrastructure to link research objects, entities, and actions, creating a lasting and reusable scholarly record that underpins open science. Together with our 23,000 members in 163 countries, we drive metadata exchange and support nearly 2 billion monthly API queries, facilitating global research communication, for the benefit of society.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
good
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Use of secure external libraries
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is fully accessible with rich content and professional design
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🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
HIGHForces HTTPS connections
Missing X-Frame-Options header
HIGHPrevents clickjacking attacks
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 Referrer-Policy header
LOWControls referrer information sent with requests
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 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
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📧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
DMARC not enforcing
MEDIUMDMARC policy is set to "none"
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
OCSP Stapling Not Enabled
LOWOCSP stapling improves performance and privacy
Certificate Transparency Not Implemented
LOWCertificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs
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
Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled
LOWDomain can be deleted without additional verification
DMARC Policy Set to None
LOWDMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy
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
How does crossref.org compare?
See how crossref.org 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
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Marketing Intelligence
Contact emails, phone numbers & warm leads
Plan Comparison
| Feature | PDF Report | Marketing+ |
|---|---|---|
| Full security analysis | ||
| Professional PDF export | ||
| Email delivery | ||
| Lifetime access + unlock code | ||
| Contact emails & phones | — | |
| Marketing outreach data | — |
Already purchased?
Order summary
Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.
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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