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Is humboldt-foundation.de a Scam? Security Check Results - Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung Reviews

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Is humboldt-foundation.de Safe? Security Analysis for Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung

Check if humboldt-foundation.de is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

EducationGermanymedium
TYPO3 CMSJavaScriptlazySizes (lazy loading)Google ChartseTracker (analytics/tracking)
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 7:01:48 PM
66
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung is a reputable German foundation dedicated to promoting international scientific collaboration and supporting researchers worldwide. It offers various funding programs, scholarships, and networking opportunities, boasting a large global network of over 30,000 researchers including numerous Nobel laureates. The foundation's website reflects its mission with comprehensive content, professional design, and consistent branding. Technically, the site is built on TYPO3 CMS, hosted by Colt Technology Services, and employs modern web technologies including lazy loading and Google Charts. Analytics are conducted via eTracker, though explicit cookie consent mechanisms and privacy policies are not evident in the provided content. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced, but lacks visible security headers and published security policies or incident response contacts. Overall, the site is trustworthy and well-positioned in the education and non-profit sectors, though improvements in privacy compliance and security transparency are recommended.

Detected Technologies

TYPO3 CMSJavaScriptlazySizes (lazy loading)Google ChartseTracker (analytics/tracking)

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The foundation operates in the education and non-profit sectors, focusing on funding and networking for researchers regardless of discipline or nationality. Its business model centers on lifelong support for funded individuals and strengthening Germany's scientific standing through international exchange. The organization enjoys a strong market position with a large, prestigious network and offers key services such as scholarships, alumni engagement, and event coordination. The website's content and structure support these objectives effectively, targeting academics and research professionals globally. No parent or subsidiary companies were identified, indicating an independent foundation structure.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enabled and no exposed sensitive data in the HTML. However, the absence of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security reduces defense-in-depth. No vulnerability disclosure or incident response information is published, which could hinder timely reporting and mitigation of security issues. The use of eTracker for analytics introduces moderate user tracking, but no explicit cookie consent or privacy policy was found, indicating potential GDPR compliance gaps. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be enhanced by adopting best practices in headers, transparency, and user consent.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a comprehensive privacy policy and cookie policy with clear GDPR compliance statements.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung

Description:

Die Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung fördert Wissenschaftler*innen unabhängig von Fachrichtung und Nationalität, stärkt den Wissenschaftsstandort Deutschland durch internationalen Forschungsaustausch und unterstützt Geförderte ein Leben lang. Sie setzt sich für internationale Verständigung, wissenschaftlichen Fortschritt und Entwicklung ein.

Key Services:
FörderprogrammeStipendien und PreiseAlumninetzwerkVeranstaltungen und VernetzungBeratung und Unterstützung für Geförderte
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
TYPO3 CMSJavaScriptlazySizes (lazy loading)Google ChartseTracker (analytics/tracking)
Frameworks:
TYPO3 CMS
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of secure cookies (implied by etracker data-block-cookies attribute)
  • Lazy loading images to improve performance

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
eTracker
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
eTracker
Marketing Tools:
eTracker
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 fully accessible with rich content and professional design.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

85/100
Score

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

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

43/100
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

EU business without adequate privacy measures

CRITICAL

EU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements

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

📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

70/100
Score

No DKIM record found

MEDIUM

DKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails

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:spf.protection.outlook.com -all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:-all

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

72/100
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

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 73 days

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

60/100
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

No DMARC Record

MEDIUM

DMARC policy not configured

Domain Registration Details

Protection Level
none
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • No domain protection locks enabled

DNS Records

A Records:185.57.243.16
Name Servers:
ns0.lon.auth.colt.net
ns1.fra.auth.colt.net
MX Records:
10: humboldtfoundation-de02b.mail.protection.outlook.com
SOA:Serial: 2025010900, TTL: 86400s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:74ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.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 is powered by TYPO3 CMS, a robust open-source content management system, indicating a well-maintained technical infrastructure. Hosting is provided by Colt Technology Services, suggesting reliable and professional hosting. The site uses modern JavaScript libraries for lazy loading images and Google Charts for data visualization, enhancing performance and user experience. Analytics are handled by eTracker, which is integrated asynchronously to reduce page load impact. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, with good SEO practices including meta tags and Open Graph data. Performance is moderate, with opportunities to improve load times and security headers to strengthen the overall technical posture.
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