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Is darksky.org a Scam? Security Check Results - DarkSky International Reviews

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Is darksky.org Safe? Security Analysis for DarkSky International

Check if darksky.org is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

Non-profitUnited Statesmedium
WordPress CMSjQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsAdvanced Ads plugin+3 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 12:02:40 PM
71
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

DarkSky International is a well-established non-profit organization dedicated to protecting night skies and reducing light pollution globally. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand presence, offering services such as certification of dark sky places and lighting products, advocacy, education, and community engagement. The organization targets environmental advocates, communities, and the general public interested in conservation. Technically, the site is built on WordPress with modern plugins and monitoring tools like New Relic and Google Analytics, ensuring a moderate to good performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and Cloudflare DNS, though improvements are recommended in DNSSEC and security headers. Privacy compliance is limited due to the absence of visible privacy and cookie policies. Overall, the site is trustworthy and credible with a strong domain history and organizational alignment.

Detected Technologies

WordPress CMSjQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsAdvanced Ads pluginEcwid Shopping CartInteractive 3D Flipbook pluginNew Relic Browser monitoring

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The organization operates in the non-profit environmental sector with a focus on light pollution mitigation. It leverages a global network of chapters, advocates, and partners to extend its reach. The business model centers on advocacy, certification programs, and community engagement rather than commercial sales. The website supports this model with educational content and pathways for involvement. The presence of donation and membership calls to action indicates fundraising as a revenue stream. The site’s market position is strong given its long domain age and recognized certifications. Partnerships with universities and other organizations enhance credibility and outreach.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website employs HTTPS with a Cloudflare registrar and DNS, providing a secure transport layer. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, which is a recommended security enhancement. The site lacks explicit Content-Security-Policy and other security headers like Referrer-Policy and X-Frame-Options, which could mitigate certain web-based attacks. No vulnerability disclosure or security policy pages were found, limiting transparency for security researchers. The use of third-party scripts and analytics is standard but should be regularly audited. Overall, the security posture is good but can be improved with additional headers and DNS security.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC on the domain to strengthen DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

DarkSky International

Description:

DarkSky International restores the nighttime environment and protects communities from the harmful effects of light pollution through outreach, advocacy, and conservation.

Key Services:
Certification of International Dark Sky PlacesCertification of DarkSky Approved lighting productsAdvocacy for responsible outdoor lightingEducation and outreach on light pollutionCommunity engagement through chapters, advocates, and delegates
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
WordPress CMSjQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsAdvanced Ads pluginEcwid Shopping CartInteractive 3D Flipbook pluginNew Relic Browser monitoring
Frameworks:
WordPressTailwind CSS (inferred from class names)New Relic monitoring framework
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
70/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Domain status clientTransferProhibited
  • Use of Cloudflare DNS
  • No DNSSEC enabled (recommend enabling)

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsNew Relic Browser
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Advanced Ads
Tracking Pixels:
New Relic
Marketing Tools:
Google Site Kit
Transparency Level:basic

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is a professionally maintained non-profit advocacy site.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

85/100
Score

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

68/100
Score

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 Policy85% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
phone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

2/100
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

Critical sector without clear security compliance

HIGH

Detected sectors: energy, transport, banking, health, digital

📧Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

80/100
Score

No DMARC reporting

LOW

DMARC aggregate reports not configured

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.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net include:_spfprod.ngpvan.com ~all
DNS Lookups:4/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

75/100
Score

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 81 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:darksky.org
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:11/25/2025 (81 days)
SANs:darksky.org, *.darksky.org

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊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

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
30 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(2422 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:172.66.162.79, 104.20.32.199
AAAA Records:2606:4700:10::ac42:a24f, 2606:4700:10::6814:20c7
Name Servers:
julissa.ns.cloudflare.com
kobe.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
10: aspmx3.googlemail.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
1: aspmx.l.google.com
10: aspmx2.googlemail.com

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 mx include:_spf.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net include:_spfprod.ngpvan.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 powered by WordPress CMS with a modern front-end design using Tailwind CSS classes. It integrates multiple plugins including Ecwid for e-commerce, Advanced Ads for advertising, and an interactive 3D flipbook plugin for enhanced content presentation. Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics are used for tracking, alongside New Relic for performance monitoring. The site is hosted with Cloudflare DNS and registrar services, ensuring reliable DNS resolution and domain management. Performance is moderate with good mobile responsiveness and SEO metadata. Accessibility features are basic but present. The technical stack is mature and well-maintained, though some security enhancements are advisable.
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