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Is mpg.de a Scam? Security Check Results - Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften Reviews

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Is mpg.de Safe? Security Analysis for Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften

Check if mpg.de is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

EducationGermanylarge
JavaScriptRequireJSUsercentrics CMPJustRelate CX Cloud CMSKatex (math rendering)+1 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 1:13:53 PM
62
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft website represents a leading German non-profit research organization focused on fundamental scientific research across 84 institutes. The site provides comprehensive information about the organization, its research activities, career opportunities, and publications. The technical infrastructure is modern, leveraging a specialized CMS (JustRelate CX Cloud), JavaScript frameworks, and a cookie consent management platform (Usercentrics). Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced and CSRF protections, though explicit security headers and incident response policies are not evident. Privacy compliance is partially demonstrated through cookie consent but lacks visible privacy policy documentation in the analyzed content. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and well-optimized for users and search engines.

Detected Technologies

JavaScriptRequireJSUsercentrics CMPJustRelate CX Cloud CMSKatex (math rendering)TinyMCE (rich text editor)

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft holds a dominant position in German scientific research, operating as a large non-profit entity with a broad international footprint. Its business model centers on advancing fundamental research and fostering scientific innovation. The organization targets researchers, academics, and the science-interested public. The website supports this with detailed content on research topics, awards, and career paths. Partnerships with institutions like Fraunhofer and international centers are indicated. The site’s content and structure reflect a mature digital presence aligned with its prestigious reputation.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and CSRF tokens in forms. The use of a reputable cookie consent platform indicates attention to privacy regulations. However, the absence of explicit security headers (e.g., CSP, X-Frame-Options) and lack of published security or incident response policies suggest areas for improvement. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the provided content. The organization would benefit from publishing a vulnerability disclosure policy and enhancing HTTP security headers to strengthen defenses.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement and publish explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften

Description:

Die Max-Planck-Gesellschaft ist Deutschlands führende außeruniversitäre Grundlagenforschung Forschungsorganisation - Forschung an 84 Instituten.

Key Services:
Scientific researchResearch fundingCareer opportunities in researchPublications and dissemination of scientific knowledgeInternational cooperation
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
JavaScriptRequireJSUsercentrics CMPJustRelate CX Cloud CMSKatex (math rendering)TinyMCE (rich text editor)
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of CSRF tokens in forms
  • Cookie consent mechanism implemented

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
statistik.mpg.de (likely internal analytics)
Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Usercentrics
Marketing Tools:
Usercentrics CMP
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 professionally designed and well-structured

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

55/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

Missing X-Frame-Options header

HIGH

Prevents clickjacking attacks

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

40/100
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

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 mx include:spf.gwdg.de include:spf.yve-tool.de ip4:155.56.221.13 ip4:155.56.221.14 ~all
DNS Lookups:3/10
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 70 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:134.76.31.198
Name Servers:
dns1.gwdg.de
dns2.gwdg.de
dns3.gwdg.de
ns1.es.net
sat.mpcdf.mpg.deDNS only
MX Records:
50: c1236.mx.srv.dfn.de
50: a1236.mx.srv.dfn.de
50: b1236.mx.srv.dfn.de
SOA:Serial: 775411226, TTL: 3600s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:63ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 mx include:spf.gwdg.de include:spf.yve-tool.de ip4:155.56.221.13 ip4:155.56.221.14 ~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 uses a modern JavaScript-based tech stack with RequireJS, Usercentrics CMP for cookie management, and JustRelate CX Cloud CMS. It employs responsive design and accessibility best practices, with good SEO metadata and Open Graph tags. Hosting appears to be managed by GWDG, a reputable German academic network provider. Performance is moderate, with deferred loading of some CSS and JS assets. The site integrates multimedia content including podcasts and videos hosted on YouTube. Overall, the technical implementation supports a robust and user-friendly experience but could improve by adding more security headers and optimizing performance further.
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