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Is data.gov a Scam? Security Check Results - General Services Administration

data.gov Security Report Summary

data.gov received a security score of 70 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers General Services Administration's website security posture. General Services Administration operates in the Government industry in United States.

Data.gov is the official open data portal of the United States Government, managed under the General Services Administration (GSA). It provides a comprehensive catalog of over 360,000 datasets, tools, and resources aimed at enabling public research, application development, and data visualization. The site serves a broad audience including the public, policymakers, researchers, and developers, positioning itself as a critical infrastructure for government transparency and innovation. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including Bootstrap, jQuery, Popper.js, and the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS), hosted on Amazon AWS infrastructure. It integrates Google Tag Manager and Digital Analytics Program scripts for analytics and performance monitoring. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and demonstrates good SEO practices. From a security perspective, Data.gov enforces HTTPS with strong SSL configuration and domain transfer protections. While DNSSEC is not enabled, the overall security posture is strong with no visible vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The site lacks explicit security policies or incident response contact information, which could be improved. Overall, Data.gov is a highly credible, professional, and secure government platform with excellent content quality and user experience. Strategic recommendations include enabling DNSSEC, publishing a security.txt file, and enhancing transparency around security policies and incident response to further strengthen trust and compliance.

The security scan identified 26 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: Bootstrap 5.3.3, jQuery 3.5.1 slim, Popper.js 2.11.8, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Digital Analytics Program (DAP), USWDS (U.S. Web Design System).

About this security scan

Guard performs automated security assessments of websites by analyzing SSL/TLS certificates, HTTP security headers, DNS configuration, email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), GDPR compliance indicators, NIS2 directive compliance, network exposure, and AI-powered business intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

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Is data.gov Safe? Security Analysis for General Services Administration

https://data.gov

Check if data.gov is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

GovernmentUnited Statesenterprise
Bootstrap 5.3.3jQuery 3.5.1 slimPopper.js 2.11.8Google Tag ManagerGoogle Analytics+2 more
Analyzed 10/8/2025Completed 6:14:34 AM8mo ago
70
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Above Government avg (70)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

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Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

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AI Summary

Data.gov is the official open data portal of the United States Government, managed under the General Services Administration (GSA). It provides a comprehensive catalog of over 360,000 datasets, tools, and resources aimed at enabling public research, application development, and data visualization. The site serves a broad audience including the public, policymakers, researchers, and developers, positioning itself as a critical infrastructure for government transparency and innovation. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including Bootstrap, jQuery, Popper.js, and the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS), hosted on Amazon AWS infrastructure. It integrates Google Tag Manager and Digital Analytics Program scripts for analytics and performance monitoring. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and demonstrates good SEO practices. From a security perspective, Data.gov enforces HTTPS with strong SSL configuration and domain transfer protections. While DNSSEC is not enabled, the overall security posture is strong with no visible vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The site lacks explicit security policies or incident response contact information, which could be improved. Overall, Data.gov is a highly credible, professional, and secure government platform with excellent content quality and user experience. Strategic recommendations include enabling DNSSEC, publishing a security.txt file, and enhancing transparency around security policies and incident response to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Detected Technologies

Bootstrap 5.3.3jQuery 3.5.1 slimPopper.js 2.11.8Google Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsDigital Analytics Program (DAP)USWDS (U.S. Web Design System)

7 urgent findings need attention

7 high

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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

5 findings

55/100

GDPR Compliance

4 findings

53/100

NIS2 Compliance

8 findings

17/100

Email Security

4 findings

70/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Data.gov operates as a government essential entity under the GSA, focusing on providing open government data to drive transparency, innovation, and informed decision-making. Its market position is unique as the official federal open data portal, with no direct commercial competitors. The business model is service-oriented, offering free access to datasets and resources. The platform supports a wide ecosystem of government agencies and external users, fostering partnerships with related sites like resources.data.gov and strategy.data.gov. Growth indicators include a large and growing dataset catalog and active engagement through social media channels. The site’s operations reflect a mature, well-established government service with strategic importance in the federal data landscape.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

Data.gov demonstrates a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS, domain transfer protection, and secure hosting on AWS. The absence of DNSSEC is a minor gap. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive information were detected in the site content or scripts. However, the site does not publicly disclose detailed security policies or incident response procedures, which are best practices for transparency and user trust. The use of Google Analytics and other tracking scripts is balanced with privacy compliance indicated by a comprehensive privacy policy. Overall, the security culture appears robust but could benefit from enhanced public security documentation and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

General Services Administration

Description:

The United States Government’s open data site designed to unleash the power of government open data to inform decisions by the public and policymakers, drive innovation and economic activity, achieve agency missions, and strengthen the foundation of an open and transparent government.

Key Services:
Open data catalogData tools and resourcesMetrics and analytics on datasetsOpen government information
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Bootstrap 5.3.3jQuery 3.5.1 slimPopper.js 2.11.8Google Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsDigital Analytics Program (DAP)USWDS (U.S. Web Design System)
Frameworks:
BootstrapUSWDS
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

excellent

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No DNSSEC (not enabled)
  • Domain transfer protection enabled
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with POST method

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsDigital Analytics Program (DAP)
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Digital Analytics Program (DAP)
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

Official US government open data portal

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

55/100
Score

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

17/100
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

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📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

70/100
Score

No DKIM record found

MEDIUM

DKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails

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 ip4:34.193.244.109 include:gsa.gov ~all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:~all
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:gsalogin@rua.agari.com
Forensic Reports:gsalogin@ruf.agari.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

95/100
Score

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 60 days

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:data.gov
Issuer:R13
Valid Until:12/7/2025 (60 days)
SANs:data.gov

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

85/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
16 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(expired)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • Privacy/proxy registration detected

DNS Records

A Records:13.33.235.14, 13.33.235.19, 13.33.235.81, 13.33.235.88
AAAA Records:2600:9000:20a8:e200:1b:ad56:be80:93a1, 2600:9000:20a8:3a00:1b:ad56:be80:93a1, 2600:9000:20a8:7c00:1b:ad56:be80:93a1, 2600:9000:20a8:a400:1b:ad56:be80:93a1, 2600:9000:20a8:7a00:1b:ad56:be80:93a1, 2600:9000:20a8:e600:1b:ad56:be80:93a1, 2600:9000:20a8:1600:1b:ad56:be80:93a1, 2600:9000:20a8:c600:1b:ad56:be80:93a1
Name Servers:
ns-1354.awsdns-41.org
ns-1826.awsdns-36.co.uk
ns-60.awsdns-07.com
ns-965.awsdns-56.net

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 ip4:34.193.244.109 include:gsa.gov ~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

How does data.gov compare?

See how data.gov 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

The website is built on a modern, responsive front-end stack leveraging Bootstrap 5 and USWDS for accessibility and design consistency. Hosting on AWS with Amazon DNS services provides scalable and reliable infrastructure. The integration of Google Tag Manager and Digital Analytics Program scripts supports comprehensive analytics and performance monitoring. The site loads efficiently with asynchronous script loading and CDN usage. No CMS is explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or government-specific content management solution. The technical implementation reflects a well-maintained, enterprise-grade government web platform with opportunities for further security enhancements.
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Marketing Intelligence

Contact emails, phone numbers & warm leads

49.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domaindata.gov
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

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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