Is researchgrants.gov.au Safe? Security Analysis for Australian Research Council
Check if researchgrants.gov.au is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
Research Grants Services (RGS) is a government-operated platform established by the Australian Research Council in 2020 to facilitate the discovery, funding, and management of research grants in Australia. The website serves as a centralized portal for grant opportunities, announcements, management, and resources targeted primarily at researchers, research institutions, and government partners. The platform leverages the GovCMS Drupal 10 content management system, ensuring a modern and responsive user experience with integration of Google Analytics and social media widgets for engagement and tracking. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and anonymized analytics, though improvements can be made by implementing security headers and explicit cookie consent mechanisms. The domain is a .gov.au domain, indicating official government use, though WHOIS data is privacy protected or restricted, which is typical for government domains. Overall, the site demonstrates high business credibility and professionalism with a clear focus on government research grant administration.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
RGS occupies a strong market position as an official Australian government service for research grant administration, leveraging the Australian Research Council's authority and expertise. Its business model is government-funded service provision, focusing on efficient grant management and transparency. The platform supports multiple grant programs and provides access to research management systems for various government sectors including Defence and Education. The partnership ecosystem includes the ARC and other government portals, enhancing its reach and trustworthiness. Growth indicators include recent program launches such as the National Intelligence Discovery Grants. The site’s content and navigation are designed to serve researchers and policy partners effectively, supporting Australia's research ecosystem.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website demonstrates a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS and anonymized Google Analytics tracking. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options represents an area for enhancement. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the HTML content. The lack of a published security policy or incident response contact information limits transparency in security governance. Overall, the site is secure for its purpose but would benefit from adopting additional security best practices and compliance disclosures to strengthen trust and regulatory adherence.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, and X-Frame-Options to mitigate common web vulnerabilities.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Australian Research Council
Research Grants Services (RGS) was established by the Australian Research Council in 2020 to make it easier to find, fund and manage research.
good
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
good
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- IP anonymization in Google Analytics
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is a government service platform for research grant management in Australia.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
👤GDPR Compliance
Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.
GDPR Compliance
Privacy and data protection assessment
No Privacy Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy
No Cookie Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires clear information about cookie usage
No Cookie Consent Banner found
HIGHGDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies
Third-party services without privacy policy
HIGHDetected services: Google Analytics, Twitter
GDPR Compliance Analysis
🛡️NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.
NIS2 Compliance
Network & Information Security Directive
No information security framework found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures
No vulnerability disclosure policy
MEDIUMNIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure
No security policy documentation found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management
No incident response procedures found
HIGHNIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans
No business continuity planning found
MEDIUMNIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity
No security contact information
HIGHNIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels
No vulnerability reporting mechanism
MEDIUMClear vulnerability reporting supports coordinated disclosure
No NIS2 reference found
LOWConsider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
No DKIM record found
MEDIUMDKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails
Strict DMARC Alignment
LOWStrict alignment may cause legitimate emails to fail
No BIMI Record
LOWBIMI displays brand logos in email clients
No MTA-STS Policy
MEDIUMMTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery
No TLS-RPT Record
LOWTLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues
SPF Details
DMARC Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
Unable to retrieve SSL certificate
CRITICALCould not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information
Mixed Content Detected
MEDIUM2 resources loaded over insecure HTTP
OCSP Status
📊DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment.
DNS Health
DNS configuration and security assessment
DNSSEC Not Enabled
MEDIUMDNSSEC is not configured for this domain
Domain Transfer Lock Not Enabled
MEDIUMDomain can be transferred without authorization
Domain Registration Details
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
DNS Performance
SPF Analysis
⚡Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis.
Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis
Good Network Security Posture
LOWNo unnecessary services detected on common risky ports
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings