Skip to main content

Is episciences.org a Scam? Security Check Results - CCSD

episciences.org Security Report Summary

episciences.org received a security score of 65 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers CCSD's website security posture. CCSD operates in the Education industry in France.

Episciences is a Diamond Open Access scientific publishing platform operated by CCSD, focusing on overlay journals across multiple disciplines. It serves the academic and research community by providing innovative editorial tools integrated within the European scholarly ecosystem. The platform hosts journals founded recently (2023-2025) and emphasizes open peer review and CC BY 4.0 licensing, positioning itself as a trusted non-profit academic publisher. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern web standards, including responsive design, SEO optimization via Yoast, and privacy-conscious analytics using Matomo. Security measures include HTTPS enforcement and hCaptcha integration for form protection, though explicit security headers could be improved. The security posture is solid with no evident vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. Privacy compliance is strong, with clear privacy and cookie policies and GDPR adherence. Contact information and legal terms are transparently provided, enhancing business credibility. Overall, Episciences presents a professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained platform suitable for academic publishing, with recommendations to enhance security headers and publish incident response details for further maturity.

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

Technologies detected: WordPress CMS, Yoast SEO plugin, hCaptcha for forms, Matomo analytics, JavaScript ES6+, CSS Grid and Flexbox.

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.

episciences.org favicon

Is episciences.org Safe? Security Analysis for CCSD

https://episciences.org

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

EducationFrancemedium
WordPress CMSYoast SEO pluginhCaptcha for formsMatomo analyticsJavaScript ES6++1 more
Analyzed 10/8/2025Completed 9:55:14 AM5mo ago
65
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Above Education avg (55)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

Security teams trust us

EveryPay

Secure checkout

Instant

Reports delivered

Professional PDF & Marketing Data

Get the professional PDF report for episciences.org

Export this security analysis as a professional PDF document, receive it via email, and access marketing intelligence data including contact emails and phone numbers. One-time purchase for lifetime access.

PDF Report & Export

PDF download, email delivery, unlock code

39.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

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

Domainepisciences.org
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

AI Summary

Episciences is a Diamond Open Access scientific publishing platform operated by CCSD, focusing on overlay journals across multiple disciplines. It serves the academic and research community by providing innovative editorial tools integrated within the European scholarly ecosystem. The platform hosts journals founded recently (2023-2025) and emphasizes open peer review and CC BY 4.0 licensing, positioning itself as a trusted non-profit academic publisher. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern web standards, including responsive design, SEO optimization via Yoast, and privacy-conscious analytics using Matomo. Security measures include HTTPS enforcement and hCaptcha integration for form protection, though explicit security headers could be improved. The security posture is solid with no evident vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. Privacy compliance is strong, with clear privacy and cookie policies and GDPR adherence. Contact information and legal terms are transparently provided, enhancing business credibility. Overall, Episciences presents a professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained platform suitable for academic publishing, with recommendations to enhance security headers and publish incident response details for further maturity.

Detected Technologies

WordPress CMSYoast SEO pluginhCaptcha for formsMatomo analyticsJavaScript ES6+CSS Grid and Flexbox

8 urgent findings need attention

8 high

Continuous monitoring

Keep episciences.org under constant watch

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

25 €
per month · billed securely via EveryPay
Less than 1 € / day — cheaper than a single incident response hour

Cancel anytime. Alerts sent to the contacts you choose. Unlock the full report to view historical timelines and alerts.

Purchase to access the monitoring timeline, JSON diffs, alert history, and PDF export for episciences.org.

Security Headers

8 findings

25/100

GDPR Compliance

3 findings

68/100

NIS2 Compliance

8 findings

17/100

Email Security

4 findings

75/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Episciences operates in the education and non-profit sectors, leveraging partnerships with European research infrastructures such as DARIAH ERIC and OpenAIRE. Its diamond open access model removes financial barriers for authors and readers, supporting equitable scholarly communication. The platform's market position is niche but growing, with a focus on overlay journals that complement existing repositories. Revenue streams likely include institutional funding and grants, as evidenced by EU funding acknowledgments. The target customers are researchers, academic institutions, and scholarly societies. The platform's growth is indicated by recent journal launches and expanding multilingual content. Strategic partnerships with CCSD and other academic entities strengthen its ecosystem and credibility.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and anti-spam measures via hCaptcha. Privacy policies and terms of use are comprehensive, indicating compliance awareness. However, the absence of explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options suggests room for improvement. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure information is published, which could be a gap in readiness. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. Overall, the platform maintains a secure environment appropriate for academic publishing but should enhance transparency around security policies and incident handling.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement and explicitly configure security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to harden the website against common web attacks.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

CCSD

Description:

Overlay journals; Episciences is a Diamond Open Access scientific publishing platform covering all disciplines, offering innovative tools integrated into the European ecosystem for content distribution and editorial support.

Key Services:
Hosting and publishing overlay journalsEditorial supportIntegration with European scholarly communication services
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
WordPress CMSYoast SEO pluginhCaptcha for formsMatomo analyticsJavaScript ES6+CSS Grid and Flexbox
Frameworks:
WordPressYoast SEO
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • Use of HTTPS
  • Use of hCaptcha for form spam protection
  • Privacy policy and terms of use present

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Matomo
Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Matomo analytics
Transparency Level:excellent

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 academic publishing platform focused on open access overlay journals.

Get this report delivered to your inbox

Receive a summary of the episciences.org security findings by email. Quick and easy to share with decision makers.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

25/100
Score

Weak Strict-Transport-Security configuration

LOW

Current value: "max-age=15768000"

Missing X-Frame-Options header

HIGH

Prevents clickjacking attacks

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

68/100
Score

No Cookie Policy found

HIGH

GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

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

Need this report as a PDF?

Download the complete episciences.org security analysis as a professional PDF. Share it with your team, clients, or stakeholders.

📧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 ip4:193.48.96.0/24 include:spf.in2p3.fr ~all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:mail(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Subdomain Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc@ccsd.cnrs.fr

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

67/100
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

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

1 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

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

80/100
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

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
13 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(1090 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:193.48.96.87
Name Servers:
ccpntc3.in2p3.fr
ccpnvx.in2p3.fr
ccsd02.in2p3.fr
MX Records:
10: ccpntc20.in2p3.fr
10: ccpntc21.in2p3.fr
SOA:Serial: 2025100201, TTL: 7200s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:98ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 ip4:193.48.96.0/24 include:spf.in2p3.fr ~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 episciences.org compare?

See how episciences.org 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 uses WordPress CMS with Yoast SEO plugin, hCaptcha for spam protection, and Matomo for privacy-respecting analytics. The front-end employs modern CSS Grid and Flexbox layouts ensuring excellent mobile responsiveness and accessibility. Performance is moderate, likely influenced by rich content and external resources. The site is well-structured with comprehensive metadata including Open Graph and JSON-LD structured data for SEO and social sharing. Hosting provider details are not explicit. Technical debt appears low with opportunities to improve security headers and possibly optimize resource loading for faster performance.
Professional PDF & Marketing Data

Download the episciences.org report as PDF

Get the complete analysis in a shareable PDF format, delivered instantly to your email with lifetime access.

PDF Report & Export

PDF download, email delivery, unlock code

39.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

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

Domainepisciences.org
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

Scan your own website

Liked the episciences.org report? Run the same comprehensive security analysis on your domain — free, instant, and no sign-up required.

Or browse our directory of >10,000 scanned websites.

⭐ Verified Community Reviews

What others say about episciences.org

Share your experience to help others make informed decisions. We verify every review by email and publish it once our moderation team approves it.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

out of 5

0 reviews published

Loading reviews…

How did we do?

Your feedback directly shapes our roadmap. Rate the quality of this report, leave an optional comment, and let us know if you want our security specialists to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.

Analyze Another Website