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Is pencilsofpromise.org a Scam? Security Check Results - Pencils of Promise Reviews

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Is pencilsofpromise.org Safe? Security Analysis for Pencils of Promise

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

EducationUnited Statesmedium
WordPressElementorGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsNitroPack+5 more
Analyzed 9/6/2025Completed 1:27:57 PM
62
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Pencils of Promise is a well-established non-profit organization founded in 2008, dedicated to improving global education through building schools and implementing WASH programs. The organization targets a general audience interested in philanthropy and education development. Their website reflects a professional and consistent brand image with clear messaging about their mission and services. Technically, the site is built on WordPress using Elementor and Astra theme, optimized for performance with NitroPack and supported by Cloudflare DNS. The site integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Hotjar, and Classy Embedded Giving SDK for fundraising. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced and domain protections in place, though DNSSEC is not enabled and security headers are not explicitly detected. Privacy compliance is weak due to the absence of visible privacy and cookie policies or consent mechanisms. Contact information is not explicitly found in the HTML content, which may impact user trust and compliance. Overall, the website is professional and trustworthy but would benefit from enhanced privacy disclosures and security best practices.

Detected Technologies

WordPressElementorGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsNitroPackCloudflare DNSFont AwesomeUltimate ElementorHotjarClassy Embedded Giving SDK

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The organization operates in the education and non-profit sectors, focusing on building schools and WASH programs globally. Their business model relies on donations and fundraising, supported by a dedicated fundraising subdomain. The market position is strong as a recognized non-profit with a medium-sized operational scale. The website's content and structure support clear communication of their mission and services, targeting donors, volunteers, and education advocates. Partnerships and fundraising platforms are integrated to streamline donation processes. Growth indicators include active marketing and analytics tools, though explicit business metrics are not disclosed. The organization maintains brand consistency and trust signals through professional design and structured data usage.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and domain status protections such as clientDeleteProhibited. The use of Cloudflare DNS adds resilience. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, which is a recommended enhancement. No explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy or X-Frame-Options were detected in the HTML content, which could improve protection against common web attacks. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found. The absence of a security policy or incident response contact reduces transparency in security management. Overall, the site is secure but could improve by implementing additional security headers and publishing security policies.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Pencils of Promise

Description:

Pencils of Promise creates a better world through education, building schools, and WASH programs. Become a part of something bigger than yourself!

Key Services:
Building schoolsWASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) programsEducational programs
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
WordPressElementorGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsNitroPackCloudflare DNSFont AwesomeUltimate ElementorHotjarClassy Embedded Giving SDK
Frameworks:
ElementorAstra Theme
Platforms:
WordPress
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Domain status includes clientDeleteProhibited and other EPP protections
  • Use of Cloudflare DNS
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Google Tag Manager with developer mode enabled

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerHotjar
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:poor

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Hotjar
Marketing Tools:
Classy Embedded Giving SDK
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

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

58/100
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

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

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

85/100
Score

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.google.com include:_spf.salesforce.com include:aspmx.pardot.com include:cust-spf.exacttarget.com ~all
DNS Lookups:4/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1416-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine
Aggregate Reports:data@pencilsofpromise.org

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

52/100
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 39 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

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

85/100
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 Registration Details

Domain Age
16 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(436 days)
Protection Level
strongDNSSEC OFF
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • Privacy/proxy registration detected

DNS Records

A Records:141.193.213.11, 141.193.213.10
Name Servers:
bonnie.ns.cloudflare.com
david.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 2379946881, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:66ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:_spf.salesforce.com include:aspmx.pardot.com include:cust-spf.exacttarget.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 on a modern WordPress platform using Elementor and Astra theme, supported by performance optimization via NitroPack and CDN services. It integrates multiple third-party analytics and marketing tools including Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Hotjar, and Classy Embedded Giving SDK for donations. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible with good SEO practices evident from meta tags and structured data. Hosting appears to be via a reputable provider, likely WP Engine. No major technical debt or outdated libraries were detected. The site demonstrates good performance and modern web standards but lacks some security headers and privacy disclosures.
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