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Is elementary.io a Scam? Security Check Results - elementary, Inc. Reviews

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Is elementary.io Safe? Security Analysis for elementary, Inc.

Check if elementary.io is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

TechnologyUnited Kingdommedium
JavaScriptjQueryFontAwesomeCloudflare DNS
Analyzed 9/6/2025Completed 12:17:25 PM
65
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

elementary, Inc. operates elementary.io, a professional and well-established website promoting elementary OS, an open source, privacy-respecting alternative operating system to Windows and macOS. The company targets general computer users, developers, and privacy-conscious individuals with a pay-what-you-can business model for OS downloads and an app store for indie developers. The website is well-branded, consistent, and provides comprehensive information about the OS and its features, emphasizing ethical computing and user privacy. Technically, the website uses modern web technologies including JavaScript, jQuery, FontAwesome, and is hosted behind Cloudflare DNS. The site is fast, mobile-optimized, and accessible with good SEO practices. Analytics are implemented via plausible.io, a privacy-focused service, but no cookie consent mechanism is present. The site lacks explicit terms of service and published security or incident response policies. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced and domain registration consistent and transparent. However, DNSSEC is not enabled and security headers are not explicitly detected. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found. The site respects privacy principles and does not collect sensitive personal data beyond minimal analytics. Overall, elementary.io presents a trustworthy, professional, and secure online presence for elementary OS. Strategic improvements include adding cookie consent, publishing terms of service and security policies, and enabling DNSSEC to enhance domain security.

Detected Technologies

JavaScriptjQueryFontAwesomeCloudflare DNS

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

elementary, Inc. occupies a niche in the technology sector as a provider of an open source operating system focused on usability, privacy, and ethical software principles. Their business model relies on voluntary payments for OS downloads and app purchases via their curated AppCenter, supporting indie developers. The company has a medium-sized presence with a history dating back to 2013, supported by a consistent brand and community engagement. Partnerships include social media and community platforms but no explicit commercial partners were identified. The company leverages open source collaboration and transparency as competitive advantages and maintains a strong ethical stance in the market.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and domain registration transparency. The absence of DNSSEC and explicit security headers suggests room for improvement. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The site uses secure forms for payment processing but lacks published security policies or incident response contacts, which could impact user trust and compliance. Privacy practices are strong, with minimal tracking and no advertising data collection. Overall, the security posture is good but could be enhanced by formalizing policies and technical controls.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

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

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

elementary, Inc.

Description:

elementary OS is a thoughtful, capable, and ethical replacement for Windows and macOS, offering a privacy-respecting, open source operating system with a curated app store and user-friendly design.

Key Services:
elementary OS operating systemAppCenter app storeDeveloper resourcesCommunity involvement
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
JavaScriptjQueryFontAwesomeCloudflare DNS
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • ClientTransferProhibited domain status
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of payment form with hidden fields

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
plausible.io
Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
plausible.io
Marketing Tools:
plausible.io
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 professional, well-designed open source OS project site

🛡️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

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, digital

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

75/100
Score

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:servers.mcsv.net include:_spf.google.com -all
DNS Lookups:2/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:k1(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:webdev@elementary.io

🏆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 52 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:elementary.io
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:10/29/2025 (52 days)
SANs:elementary.io, *.elementary.io

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

75/100
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

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
12 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(339 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:172.67.134.130, 104.21.25.196
AAAA Records:2606:4700:3032::6815:19c4, 2606:4700:3034::ac43:8682
Name Servers:
rita.ns.cloudflare.com
theo.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
10: aspmx2.googlemail.com
10: aspmx3.googlemail.com
1: aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 2379424198, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:54ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:servers.mcsv.net include:_spf.google.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 built with modern web technologies including JavaScript, jQuery, and FontAwesome icons, and is hosted behind Cloudflare DNS servers, indicating reliable infrastructure. The site loads quickly and is optimized for mobile devices with responsive design. SEO is well implemented with comprehensive meta tags and Open Graph data. No CMS was detected, suggesting a custom or static site architecture. The use of plausible.io analytics reflects a privacy-conscious approach. Technical risks are minimal, but the absence of DNSSEC and security headers represents potential areas for technical debt and security enhancement.
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