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Is grapheneos.org a Scam? Security Check Results - Private by Design, LLC Reviews

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Is grapheneos.org Safe? Security Analysis for Private by Design, LLC

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

TechnologyUnited Statessmall
HTML5CSS3JavaScript (ES Modules)SHA-256 Subresource IntegrityManifest (PWA support)
Analyzed 9/7/2025Completed 9:21:11 AM
68
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

GrapheneOS is a US-based non-profit organization developing a privacy and security focused mobile operating system compatible with Android apps. Founded in 2014 and operating under Private by Design, LLC, it offers a niche product targeting privacy-conscious users and security researchers. The website reflects a mature, well-branded open source project with strong community engagement but lacks explicit privacy and cookie policies or direct contact information. Technically, the site uses modern web standards, including Subresource Integrity and a manifest for PWA support, delivering excellent performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is good with HTTPS and sandboxing technologies, though DNSSEC is not enabled and security headers are missing. Overall, the domain registration is consistent and transparent, supporting legitimacy. The site does not use advertising or tracking technologies, aligning with its privacy focus.

Detected Technologies

HTML5CSS3JavaScript (ES Modules)SHA-256 Subresource IntegrityManifest (PWA support)

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

GrapheneOS occupies a specialized market segment as a privacy-first mobile OS alternative to mainstream Android distributions. Its non-profit open source model emphasizes transparency and community trust. The project’s key services include OS development, security research, and privacy-focused app creation. The company maintains a broad social media presence and community forums, enhancing user engagement and support. The absence of commercial advertising and tracking tools aligns with its privacy-centric ethos. Growth potential lies in expanding device support and increasing awareness among privacy-conscious consumers. Partnerships appear limited to community and open source ecosystems, with no commercial subsidiaries or related domains identified.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a solid security foundation with HTTPS enforced and use of Subresource Integrity for critical assets. However, the absence of DNSSEC and security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security represents areas for improvement. No forms or data collection mechanisms reduce attack surface, but lack of published security policies or incident response contacts limits transparency. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The project’s refusal to include Google Play services by default and use of sandboxed alternatives enhances user security. Overall, the security posture is strong but could benefit from enhanced header configurations and published security documentation.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC on the domain to improve DNS security and integrity.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Private by Design, LLC

Description:

GrapheneOS is a privacy and security focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility developed as a non-profit open source project. It focuses on research and development of privacy and security technology including improvements to sandboxing, exploit mitigations, and permission models. It also develops privacy/security focused apps such as a hardened Chromium browser variant, PDF viewer, and camera app.

Key Services:
Mobile operating system developmentSecurity and privacy technology researchDevelopment of hardened privacy-focused appsOpen source software distribution
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
HTML5CSS3JavaScript (ES Modules)SHA-256 Subresource IntegrityManifest (PWA support)
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced (implied by URL)
  • Use of Subresource Integrity (SRI) for CSS and JS
  • No Google Play services included by default
  • Sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer

Analytics & Tracking

Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:poor

Advertising & Marketing

Transparency Level:poor

Website Quality Assessment

Design Quality:excellent
User Experience:excellent
Content Relevance:excellent
Navigation Clarity:excellent
Professionalism:excellent
Trustworthiness:high

Key Observations

1

Website is fully accessible with rich content and clear navigation

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

90/100
Score

Weak X-XSS-Protection configuration

LOW

Current value: "0"

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

10/100
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 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: transport

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

100/100
Score

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 a:mail.grapheneos.org -all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:default(1392-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:dmarc@grapheneos.org
Forensic Reports:dmarc@grapheneos.org
MTA-STS Details
Mode:enforce
Max Age:365 days

🏆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 84 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:grapheneos.org
Issuer:E7
Valid Until:11/30/2025 (84 days)
SANs:grapheneos.app, grapheneos.ca, grapheneos.com +19 more

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

90/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
6 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(1292 days)
Protection Level
moderateDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:54.37.41.188
AAAA Records:2001:41d0:304:200::902f
Name Servers:
ns1.grapheneos.org
ns2.grapheneos.org
MX Records:
10: mail.grapheneos.net
0: mail.grapheneos.org
SOA:Serial: 2025090601, TTL: 3600s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:170ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 a:mail.grapheneos.org -all

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis.

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis

40/100
Score

Service Exposed: SSH

MEDIUM

Port 22 (SSH) is publicly accessible - SSH - Secure but can be brute-forced

🔧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 HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript modules with Subresource Integrity, indicating attention to security and performance. The presence of a web manifest suggests PWA capabilities. The site is fast, mobile-optimized, and accessible with clear navigation and professional design. No CMS or hosting provider details were detected. The absence of analytics or tracking scripts aligns with the privacy-first philosophy but limits marketing insights. Technical debt appears low with no broken elements or errors observed. Opportunities exist to improve security headers and implement DNSSEC. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports a secure, performant, and user-friendly experience consistent with the project’s goals.
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