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Is gov.uk a Scam? Security Check Results - Government Digital Service

gov.uk Security Report Summary

gov.uk received a security score of 64 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers Government Digital Service's website security posture. Government Digital Service operates in the Government industry in United Kingdom.

GOV.UK is the official digital platform of the UK government, providing a comprehensive portal for accessing government services and information. It serves a broad audience including UK residents, businesses, and visitors, offering key services such as benefits, tax accounts, immigration status, and more. The website is well-established with a domain age dating back to 1996, reflecting its long-standing role as the primary government gateway online. Technically, the site employs modern web technologies, including govuk-frontend framework, JavaScript analytics tools like Lux and Google Analytics 4, and is optimized for performance, accessibility, and mobile use. Security measures are robust, with HTTPS, CSRF protections, and cookie consent mechanisms in place, though explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not publicly detailed. Overall, the site demonstrates high professionalism, trustworthiness, and compliance with privacy regulations, making it a reliable and authoritative source for government-related digital services.

The security scan identified 35 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: JavaScript, Lux (analytics), GA4 (Google Analytics 4), Gem components, SVG graphics.

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 gov.uk Safe? Security Analysis for Government Digital Service

https://gov.uk

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

GovernmentUnited Kingdomenterprise
JavaScriptLux (analytics)GA4 (Google Analytics 4)Gem componentsSVG graphics
Analyzed 10/9/2025Completed 5:57:07 PM6mo ago
64
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Below Government avg (70)

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Domains scanned

500+

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Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

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AI Summary

GOV.UK is the official digital platform of the UK government, providing a comprehensive portal for accessing government services and information. It serves a broad audience including UK residents, businesses, and visitors, offering key services such as benefits, tax accounts, immigration status, and more. The website is well-established with a domain age dating back to 1996, reflecting its long-standing role as the primary government gateway online. Technically, the site employs modern web technologies, including govuk-frontend framework, JavaScript analytics tools like Lux and Google Analytics 4, and is optimized for performance, accessibility, and mobile use. Security measures are robust, with HTTPS, CSRF protections, and cookie consent mechanisms in place, though explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not publicly detailed. Overall, the site demonstrates high professionalism, trustworthiness, and compliance with privacy regulations, making it a reliable and authoritative source for government-related digital services.

Detected Technologies

JavaScriptLux (analytics)GA4 (Google Analytics 4)Gem componentsSVG graphics

15 urgent findings need attention

15 high

  • + 7 more findings in the full report below
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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

70/100

GDPR Compliance

2 findings

83/100

NIS2 Compliance

9 findings

2/100

Email Security

11 findings

0/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The UK government's digital service operates GOV.UK as a centralized platform to streamline access to public services and information. Its market position is dominant as the official government portal, with no direct commercial competitors. The business model is public sector service delivery, focusing on transparency, accessibility, and user-centric design. Revenue streams are government-funded, with no advertising or affiliate marketing. The target audience spans individuals, businesses, and public bodies within the UK. The platform integrates with various government departments and agencies, reflecting a broad partnership ecosystem. Growth indicators include continuous content updates and feature enhancements. Strategic observations highlight the importance of maintaining high security and privacy standards given the sensitive nature of services provided.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

GOV.UK exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, use of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy with nonce, and CSRF token implementation in forms. The site avoids exposing sensitive data in its HTML and employs anti-spam measures in feedback forms. However, it lacks publicly available detailed security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms, which are recommended best practices for transparency and user trust. Compliance with GDPR is evident through privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms. No vulnerabilities or security issues were detected in the analyzed content. The security score is high, but improvements could be made by publishing explicit security and incident response information.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a dedicated security policy page detailing security practices and user guidance.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Government Digital Service

Description:

GOV.UK is the official UK government website providing access to government services and information including benefits, passports, taxes, and more.

Key Services:
Benefits information and applicationsBusiness and self-employed guidanceChildcare and parenting supportCitizenship and immigration servicesDriving and transport servicesEducation and learning resourcesTax and money managementGovernment news and transparency
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
JavaScriptLux (analytics)GA4 (Google Analytics 4)Gem componentsSVG graphics
Frameworks:
govuk-frontend
Platforms:
Nominet domain registry
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

excellent

SEO:

excellent

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • CSRF protection tokens
  • Cookie consent banner with opt-in/out
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with anti-spam honeypot field

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
LuxGoogle Analytics 4
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Lux analyticsGoogle Analytics 4
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 the official UK government portal with extensive services and information

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

70/100
Score

Weak X-Frame-Options configuration

LOW

Current value: "ALLOWALL"

Weak X-Content-Type-Options configuration

LOW

Current value: "nosniff, nosniff"

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

Missing Referrer-Policy header

LOW

Controls referrer information sent with requests

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, digital

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📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

0/100
Score

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'default' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'google' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'k1' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'k2' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'selector1' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'selector2' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'mail' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'email' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 'dkim' uses 32-bit key

Weak DKIM Key

HIGH

DKIM selector 's1' uses 32-bit key

Strict DMARC Alignment

LOW

Strict alignment may cause legitimate emails to fail

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 -all
DNS Lookups:0/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:default(32-bit rsa)
Selector:google(32-bit rsa)
Selector:k1(32-bit rsa)
Selector:k2(32-bit rsa)
Selector:selector1(32-bit rsa)
Selector:selector2(32-bit rsa)
Selector:mail(32-bit rsa)
Selector:email(32-bit rsa)
Selector:dkim(32-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(32-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Subdomain Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc-rua@dmarc.service.gov.uk
MTA-STS Details

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

92/100
Score

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 69 days

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Enabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

70/100
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

Domain Registration Details

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

DNS Records

A Records:151.101.0.144, 151.101.64.144, 151.101.128.144, 151.101.192.144
AAAA Records:2a04:4e42:800::144, 2a04:4e42::144, 2a04:4e42:e00::144, 2a04:4e42:c00::144, 2a04:4e42:a00::144, 2a04:4e42:400::144, 2a04:4e42:200::144, 2a04:4e42:600::144
Name Servers:
dns1.nic.ukDNS only
dns2.nic.ukDNS only
dns3.nic.ukDNS only
dns4.nic.ukDNS only
nsa.nic.ukDNS only
nsb.nic.ukDNS only
nsc.nic.ukDNS only
nsd.nic.ukDNS only
SOA:Serial: 1760016738, TTL: 3600s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:86ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 -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 gov.uk compare?

See how gov.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 a custom government CMS with govuk-frontend framework, leveraging modern JavaScript libraries and analytics tools. It demonstrates excellent performance and mobile responsiveness, with well-structured semantic HTML and accessibility features. The use of CSP nonces and CSRF tokens indicates attention to security in technical implementation. The site is hosted on government infrastructure with domain registration managed by Nominet, ensuring stability and legitimacy. Technical risks are minimal, but ongoing modernization and documentation of security policies would further strengthen the platform.
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PDF Report & Export

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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

Domaingov.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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