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Is irtf.org a Scam? Security Check Results - Internet Research Task Force Reviews

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Is irtf.org Safe? Security Analysis for Internet Research Task Force

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

TechnologyN/asmall
Bootstrap 5.3.1
Analyzed 10/3/2025Completed 6:30:49 PM
61
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) is a specialized research organization dedicated to advancing the long-term evolution of Internet protocols, applications, architecture, and technology. It operates through multiple focused research groups and organizes workshops, prizes, and grants to foster collaboration between academia and the Internet standards community. The website reflects a professional, well-structured platform with clear navigation and comprehensive content aimed at researchers and professionals in the Internet technology domain. Technically, the website uses modern Bootstrap framework for responsive design and demonstrates good mobile optimization and accessibility. The absence of forms and tracking technologies indicates a privacy-conscious approach. However, security headers and explicit cookie consent mechanisms are not detected, suggesting room for improvement in security hardening and privacy compliance. From a security perspective, the site is served over HTTPS and shows no signs of vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The WHOIS data is unavailable or protected, which is typical for organizations of this nature, and does not detract from the site's legitimacy given its strong affiliation with the IETF and related bodies. Overall, the site scores well on content quality, business credibility, and technical implementation, with moderate scores on security posture and privacy compliance. Strategically, the IRTF website serves as a trusted resource for Internet research communities, but could enhance trust and compliance by publishing more explicit security policies, cookie consent, and incident response information.

Detected Technologies

Bootstrap 5.3.1

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The IRTF holds a unique position as a non-profit research entity closely linked to the IETF and other Internet governance organizations. Its business model centers on facilitating long-term Internet research through collaborative groups and events rather than commercial activities. The target audience includes academics, researchers, and Internet protocol developers. The organization benefits from a strong partnership ecosystem with IETF, IAB, IANA, and RFC Editor, enhancing its credibility and reach. Growth indicators include ongoing formation of new research groups and active workshops. Revenue streams are likely limited to grants and sponsorships supporting research activities. The website's professional presentation and comprehensive content support its authoritative market position in Internet research.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Email Addresses (2)

i*****@irtf.org
i*****@irtf.org

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and no visible vulnerabilities or sensitive data exposure. However, the lack of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security, absence of a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file, and no incident response contact details indicate gaps in comprehensive security governance. Privacy compliance is supported by a detailed privacy policy referencing GDPR, but cookie consent mechanisms are missing. The security culture appears cautious but could benefit from more transparent security and incident response documentation to enhance trust and readiness.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement and enforce security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security to strengthen defense against common web attacks.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Internet Research Task Force

Description:

The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) promotes research of importance to the evolution of the Internet protocols, applications, architecture and technology. It focuses on longer term research issues related to the Internet and is comprised of multiple focused and long-term research groups. It organizes workshops, prizes, and provides travel grants and fee waivers to support researchers.

Key Services:
Research GroupsWorkshops and PrizesTravel Grants and Fee WaiversPublic Mailing Lists
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Bootstrap 5.3.1
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
70/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS usage assumed (URL is https)
  • No forms detected to collect sensitive data

Analytics & Tracking

Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Transparency Level:poor

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenges.

🛡️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

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 ip4:166.84.6.31 ip4:166.84.7.238 ip6:2602:f977:800:f7f6::/64 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.hostedrt.com ~all
DNS Lookups:2/10
Policy:~all

🏆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 44 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:irtf.org
Issuer:WE1
Valid Until:11/16/2025 (44 days)
SANs:irtf.org, *.irtf.org

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

75/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

No DMARC Record

MEDIUM

DMARC policy not configured

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
30 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(247 days)
Protection Level
moderateDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:172.66.159.9, 104.20.20.118
AAAA Records:2606:4700:10::6814:1476, 2606:4700:10::ac42:9f09
Name Servers:
jill.ns.cloudflare.com
ken.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
0: mail2.ietf.org
SOA:Serial: 2384325108, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:40ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 ip4:166.84.6.31 ip4:166.84.7.238 ip6:2602:f977:800:f7f6::/64 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.hostedrt.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 built using Bootstrap 5.3.1, ensuring responsive design and good mobile compatibility. The HTML structure is valid and well-organized, supporting accessibility and SEO best practices. Performance is moderate, with no heavy scripts or tracking technologies detected, contributing to fast load times. The absence of a CMS or complex backend technologies reduces attack surface but may limit content management flexibility. Hosting provider details are not disclosed. Overall, the technical infrastructure is solid but could be enhanced with modern security headers and explicit privacy controls to reduce technical risks and improve compliance.
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