
Is grants.gov.au Safe? Security Analysis for Australian Government
Check if grants.gov.au is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

AI Summary
GrantConnect is the Australian Government's official grants information system, providing centralized publication of forecast and current grant opportunities as well as grant awards and decisions. The platform targets grant applicants and stakeholders seeking government funding opportunities. It operates as a government service platform facilitating access to grant information and application processes, positioning itself as the authoritative source for Australian Government grants. The website features consistent branding with Australian Government logos and a Creative Commons license, reinforcing its official status. Technically, the website employs standard web technologies including JavaScript and monitoring via New Relic. The site demonstrates good mobile optimization and accessibility features, with a moderate performance profile. While no specific CMS or hosting provider is identified, the site uses modern JavaScript monitoring and error tracking tools. The site structure and navigation are clear, supporting a positive user experience. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and includes CSRF tokens in login forms, indicating attention to secure data handling. However, explicit security headers and published security policies are absent, and no incident response or vulnerability disclosure information is found. The WHOIS data is unavailable due to privacy or query failure, but the use of a .gov.au domain and consistent official branding strongly support legitimacy. No WAF or blocking mechanisms are detected, and no vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data are apparent. Overall, GrantConnect presents a trustworthy and professional government service website with good content quality and technical implementation. To enhance security posture and privacy compliance, it is recommended to publish explicit privacy, cookie, and security policies, implement cookie consent mechanisms, and provide clear contact information for security incidents.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
GrantConnect serves as a critical government platform for disseminating grant-related information to Australian citizens and organizations. Its market position as an official government portal provides a competitive advantage through trust and authority. The business model is service-oriented, focusing on information dissemination rather than revenue generation. The target customer segments include grant applicants, government agencies, and stakeholders involved in public funding. The platform's partnership ecosystem includes related government help sites. Growth indicators are not explicit but the platform's role is essential in government grant administration. Strategic observations highlight the importance of maintaining high trust and compliance standards given the sensitive nature of government funding information.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS enforcement and CSRF protection on forms. However, the absence of explicit security headers (such as CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options) and lack of published security or incident response policies indicate gaps in security best practices. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analysis. The lack of cookie consent mechanisms and privacy policy links reduces privacy compliance. Incident response readiness and security culture indicators are not evident from the public content. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a government informational site but could be improved by adopting comprehensive security policies and transparency.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Publish explicit privacy, cookie, and security policies prominently on the website.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Australian Government
GrantConnect provides centralised publication of forecast and current Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awarded.
good
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
good
basic
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced (implied by domain and scripts loaded via https)
- CSRF token present in login forms
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is an official Australian Government grants information portal
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing X-XSS-Protection header
MEDIUMLegacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)
Missing Permissions-Policy header
MEDIUMControls browser features and APIs
Sensitive data may be cached
LOWCache-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
No Privacy Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy
No Cookie Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires clear information about cookie usage
No Cookie Consent Banner found
HIGHGDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies
GDPR Compliance Analysis
🛡️NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.
NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive
No information security framework found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures
No vulnerability disclosure policy
MEDIUMNIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure
No security policy documentation found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management
No incident response procedures found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans
No business continuity planning found
MEDIUMNIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity
No security contact information
HIGHNIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels
No vulnerability reporting mechanism
MEDIUMClear vulnerability reporting supports coordinated disclosure
No NIS2 reference found
LOWConsider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
No DKIM record found
MEDIUMDKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails
No BIMI Record
LOWBIMI displays brand logos in email clients
SPF Details
DMARC Details
MTA-STS Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
Weak Protocols Supported
HIGHServer supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1
OCSP Stapling Not Enabled
LOWOCSP stapling improves performance and privacy
Certificate Transparency Not Implemented
LOWCertificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs
Mixed Content Detected
MEDIUM1 resources loaded over insecure HTTP
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Protocol Support
OCSP Status
📊DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment.
DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment
DNSSEC Not Enabled
MEDIUMDNSSEC is not configured for this domain
CAA Records Not Configured
LOWCertificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found
Domain Transfer Lock Not Enabled
MEDIUMDomain can be transferred without authorization
Domain Registration Details
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
DNS Performance
SPF Analysis
⚡Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis.
Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis
Good Network Security Posture
LOWNo unnecessary services detected on common risky ports
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings