Skip to main content

Is esahubble.org a Scam? Security Check Results - STScI Reviews

esahubble.org favicon

Is esahubble.org Safe? Security Analysis for STScI

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

GovernmentUnited Statesmedium
HTML5CSS3JavaScriptjQueryYouTube Iframe API+3 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 8:41:42 AM
61
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

ESA/Hubble.org is the official web portal for the European Space Agency's Hubble Space Telescope outreach and educational activities, managed by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). The website provides comprehensive scientific news, stunning images, videos, and educational resources aimed at a broad audience including scientists, educators, and the general public. It holds a strong market position as an authoritative source for Hubble-related content and space science education. The business model is non-commercial, focusing on public outreach and education. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and integrates with major social media platforms and video services such as YouTube and Facebook. It is hosted behind Cloudflare DNS and CDN services, ensuring good performance and availability. The site is mobile-optimized and features clear navigation and professional design, contributing to an excellent user experience. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS with proper domain registration locks, but lacks DNSSEC and some recommended security headers. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Privacy compliance is partial, with a privacy policy present but no cookie consent mechanism or GDPR-specific disclosures. The WHOIS data is consistent with the organization's identity and supports the site's legitimacy. Overall, ESA/Hubble.org is a high-quality, trustworthy, and professionally maintained website with strong content and business credibility. Strategic improvements in privacy compliance and security headers would further enhance its posture.

Detected Technologies

HTML5CSS3JavaScriptjQueryYouTube Iframe APIFacebook SDKTwitter WidgetsCloudflare DNS

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

ESA/Hubble.org operates as a key outreach and educational platform for the Hubble Space Telescope under the auspices of ESA and STScI. It targets a global audience interested in astronomy and space science, including researchers, educators, and enthusiasts. The site leverages partnerships with ESA and other scientific institutions, providing authoritative content and media assets. Its revenue model is likely grant or government-funded, focusing on public engagement rather than commercial sales. The presence of extensive archives, newsletters, and multimedia content indicates a mature content strategy supporting sustained audience engagement. The platform's integration with social media and video channels enhances its reach and influence in the scientific communication ecosystem.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Email Addresses (1)

i*****@eso.org

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a solid security foundation with HTTPS enforced and domain registration protections such as clientDeleteProhibited status. However, it lacks DNSSEC and important HTTP security headers like Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options, which could mitigate certain attack vectors. No forms with sensitive input fields were detected, reducing risk exposure. The absence of a published security policy or incident response contacts limits transparency in security governance. Privacy compliance is incomplete, with no cookie consent mechanism detected, which may pose regulatory risks under GDPR. Overall, the security posture is good but could be improved by adopting additional best practices and compliance measures.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

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

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

STScI

Description:

The ESA page for the Hubble Space Telescope, a space-based observatory that revolutionised modern astronomy, providing news, images, videos, and educational resources related to Hubble and space science.

Key Services:
News releasesImage and video archivesEducational materialsPublic outreach and newsletters
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
HTML5CSS3JavaScriptjQueryYouTube Iframe APIFacebook SDKTwitter WidgetsCloudflare DNS
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
80/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Domain status includes clientDeleteProhibited and other EPP locks
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Cloudflare DNS

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsCloudflare Insights
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Cloudflare Insights
Transparency Level:basic

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 maintained official ESA/Hubble portal

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

15/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

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

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
emailphone

🛡️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

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

70/100
Score

DMARC not enforcing

MEDIUM

DMARC policy is set to "none"

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 include:dc-aa8e722993._spfm.esahubble.org include:mailgun.org include:_spf.google.com ~all
DNS Lookups:3/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1416-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

65/100
Score

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 51 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

2 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:esahubble.org
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:10/27/2025 (51 days)
SANs:esahubble.org, *.esahubble.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

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
5 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(245 days)
Protection Level
strongDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:104.21.66.140, 172.67.204.133
AAAA Records:2606:4700:3031::6815:428c, 2606:4700:3036::ac43:cc85
Name Servers:
fay.ns.cloudflare.com
jack.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
1: aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 2379252426, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:47ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:dc-aa8e722993._spfm.esahubble.org include:mailgun.org 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 uses a custom or bespoke CMS platform with a modern front-end stack including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript libraries such as jQuery. It integrates with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Analytics for multimedia and analytics capabilities. Hosting is via Cloudflare DNS and CDN, providing fast content delivery and resilience. The site is mobile responsive with good SEO metadata including Open Graph tags. Performance is optimized with lazy loading of images and asynchronous script loading. There is no evidence of outdated or vulnerable libraries. Opportunities exist to improve accessibility features and implement additional security headers to reduce technical risk.
Analyze Another Website