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Is dur.ac.uk a Scam? Security Check Results - Durham University

dur.ac.uk Security Report Summary

dur.ac.uk received a security score of 65 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers Durham University's website security posture. Durham University operates in the Education industry in United Kingdom.

Durham University operates as a prestigious higher education institution in the United Kingdom, offering a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programs. The website reflects a mature digital presence with comprehensive content targeting prospective students, current students, researchers, and alumni. The institution emphasizes global partnerships, student support, and research impact, positioning itself as a leading academic entity. The domain's long registration history and direct registration with Nominet reinforce its legitimacy and trustworthiness. Technically, the website employs modern JavaScript frameworks, integrates multiple analytics and tracking tools, and is optimized for mobile and accessibility standards. However, explicit privacy, cookie, and security policies are not evident in the provided content, which may impact compliance and user trust. Security posture is strong with HTTPS and best practices observed, but could be improved with clearer policy disclosures and security headers. Overall, the website is professional, content-rich, and credible, with room for enhanced privacy transparency and incident response readiness.

The security scan identified 32 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: JavaScript, Alpine.js, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Facebook SDK, Hotjar, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Curator.io, Uptrends RUM.

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 dur.ac.uk Safe? Security Analysis for Durham University

https://dur.ac.uk

Check if dur.ac.uk is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

EducationUnited Kingdomlarge
JavaScriptAlpine.jsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsFacebook SDK+4 more
Analyzed 6/28/2025Completed 2:17:00 AM9mo ago
65
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Above Education avg (55)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

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Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

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AI Summary

Durham University operates as a prestigious higher education institution in the United Kingdom, offering a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programs. The website reflects a mature digital presence with comprehensive content targeting prospective students, current students, researchers, and alumni. The institution emphasizes global partnerships, student support, and research impact, positioning itself as a leading academic entity. The domain's long registration history and direct registration with Nominet reinforce its legitimacy and trustworthiness. Technically, the website employs modern JavaScript frameworks, integrates multiple analytics and tracking tools, and is optimized for mobile and accessibility standards. However, explicit privacy, cookie, and security policies are not evident in the provided content, which may impact compliance and user trust. Security posture is strong with HTTPS and best practices observed, but could be improved with clearer policy disclosures and security headers. Overall, the website is professional, content-rich, and credible, with room for enhanced privacy transparency and incident response readiness.

Detected Technologies

JavaScriptAlpine.jsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsFacebook SDKHotjarLinkedIn Insight TagCurator.ioUptrends RUM

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

6 findings

45/100

GDPR Compliance

2 findings

83/100

NIS2 Compliance

9 findings

2/100

Email Security

5 findings

70/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Durham University holds a strong market position as a large, established educational institution in the UK. Its business model centers on academic education, research, and community engagement. The website's extensive navigation and content reflect a broad service offering including study programs, student experience, research initiatives, and global collaborations. The presence of multiple tracking and marketing tools indicates a mature digital marketing strategy aimed at student recruitment and engagement. The lack of visible contact emails or phone numbers on the homepage suggests contact information may be located deeper within the site or handled via forms. The university's partnerships and global networks are highlighted, supporting its international reach and reputation. The domain's WHOIS data aligns with the institution's profile, supporting high business credibility.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a solid security posture with enforced HTTPS, asynchronous loading of scripts, and no visible exposure of sensitive data. Multiple security headers are likely implemented though not explicitly visible in the HTML. The use of third-party analytics and tracking services is extensive, which increases the attack surface but appears managed. No vulnerabilities or malware indicators were detected in the content. However, the absence of published security policies, incident response contacts, or vulnerability disclosure mechanisms represents a compliance gap and potential risk in incident handling. Enhancing transparency around security practices and providing dedicated security contact channels would strengthen the security culture and user trust.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish clear and accessible privacy and cookie policies with GDPR compliance details.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Durham University

Description:

Durham University is a higher education institution providing undergraduate, postgraduate, international study, and research services. It offers student support, enrichment activities, and global partnerships.

Key Services:
Undergraduate StudyPostgraduate StudyInternational StudyResearch and Business SupportStudent Support and WellbeingGlobal Partnerships
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
JavaScriptAlpine.jsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsFacebook SDKHotjarLinkedIn Insight TagCurator.ioUptrends RUM
Frameworks:
Alpine.js
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of async loading for scripts
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No visible vulnerable libraries

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityHotjarLinkedIn Insight TagUptrends RUM
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Twitter Ads
Tracking Pixels:
Facebook PixelLinkedIn Insight TagMicrosoft ClarityHotjar
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 a professionally designed university homepage with extensive content and navigation.

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

45/100
Score

Missing X-Content-Type-Options header

MEDIUM

Prevents MIME type sniffing

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

83/100
Score

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

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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

Complex SPF record

LOW

Too many include statements can cause lookup limits

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 include:spf.durham.ac.uk include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:amazonses.com include:customers.clickdimensions.com include:spf.topdesk.net include:mh.blackboard.com ip4:160.34.64.16/28 ~all
DNS Lookups:6/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:selector1(1416-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc_agg@vali.email

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

77/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

OCSP Stapling Not Enabled

LOW

OCSP stapling improves performance and privacy

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

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 Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

65/100
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 Transfer Lock Not Enabled

MEDIUM

Domain can be transferred without authorization

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
28 years(mature)
Protection Level
none
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • No domain protection locks enabled

DNS Records

A Records:75.2.69.134, 99.83.253.255
Name Servers:
infoblox1.dur.ac.ukDNS only
infoblox2.dur.ac.ukDNS only
ns1.ja.netDNS only
MX Records:
10: dur-ac-uk.mail.protection.outlook.com
SOA:Serial: 2017823704, TTL: 600s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:99ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:spf.durham.ac.uk include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:amazonses.com include:customers.clickdimensions.com include:spf.topdesk.net include:mh.blackboard.com ip4:160.34.64.16/28 ~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 dur.ac.uk compare?

See how dur.ac.uk 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 the Terminalfour CMS platform and uses modern JavaScript frameworks such as Alpine.js. It integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools including Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar, Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, and Twitter Ads. The site is mobile-optimized with good accessibility features and SEO meta tags. Performance is moderate, with asynchronous script loading to improve page speed. The domain is registered with Nominet and has a long history, indicating a stable technical foundation. Hosting details are not explicit but likely managed by the university or a trusted provider. The technical implementation supports a professional and scalable digital presence suitable for a large educational institution.
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Marketing Intelligence

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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

Domaindur.ac.uk
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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