Is crossref.org Safe? Security Analysis for Crossref
Check if crossref.org is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
Crossref is a leading non-profit organization providing open infrastructure to link research objects and metadata, supporting the global scholarly community with over 23,000 members in 163 countries. Their platform facilitates nearly 2 billion monthly API queries, enabling efficient metadata exchange and open science communication. The website reflects a mature digital presence with comprehensive content, clear navigation, and strong branding consistency. Technically, the site uses modern web technologies including Hugo, Bootstrap, jQuery, and Algolia search, ensuring fast performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforcement and no visible vulnerabilities, though explicit security policies and incident response information are not publicly available. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms. Overall, Crossref demonstrates high trustworthiness and professionalism, though WHOIS data is privacy protected, which is justified given the organization's nature.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
Crossref occupies a critical niche in the scholarly publishing ecosystem, providing essential metadata services that underpin open science. Their business model is membership-based, serving publishers, researchers, funders, and service providers. The organization leverages a large global network and offers a suite of services including content registration, grant linking, similarity checking, and event data. Their market position is strong, supported by extensive community engagement and recognition through metadata awards. The website content and structure support their mission and target audience effectively, with ongoing initiatives to improve metadata quality and equity in membership fees. Partnerships and community forums further enhance their ecosystem.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website employs HTTPS with strong SSL configuration and uses security best practices such as cookie consent and no exposed sensitive data. However, there is no explicit security policy or incident response information available, and no security.txt or vulnerability disclosure program is evident. The absence of direct security contact channels limits transparency in incident handling. No vulnerable libraries or insecure forms were detected. Overall, the security posture is good but could be improved by publishing formal security policies and providing clear incident response contacts.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to enhance transparency.
✨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 23,000 members in 163 countries, they drive metadata exchange and support nearly 2 billion monthly API queries, facilitating global research communication for the benefit of society.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
fast
excellent
good
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Use of security-focused cookies and consent banner
- No vulnerable libraries detected in scripts
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking detected
🛡️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
📧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
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings