Is scholcommlab.ca Safe? Security Analysis for Scholarly Communications Lab
Check if scholcommlab.ca is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
The Scholarly Communications Lab is an academic research group focused on studying scholarly communication, knowledge production, and dissemination. Affiliated with Simon Fraser University and the University of Ottawa, the lab conducts interdisciplinary research using computational and qualitative methods. Their website serves as a hub for research updates, publications, events, and outreach activities targeted at researchers and academics. Technically, the site is built on WordPress with modern web technologies and plugins supporting calendar events, bibliographic references, and newsletter subscriptions. While HTTPS is enforced and no critical vulnerabilities are evident, the site lacks some security headers and a cookie consent mechanism, which are recommended for improved privacy compliance. The absence of WHOIS data suggests privacy protection on domain registration, which is reasonable for an academic entity. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained, though it could enhance privacy and security practices.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
The lab occupies a niche academic market focused on scholarly communication research, leveraging partnerships with universities and public knowledge projects. Their business model is non-commercial, centered on research and community engagement. The website reflects a small-sized entity with a strong academic reputation and consistent branding. Key services include research dissemination, event hosting, and outreach via blogs and newsletters. The lab's partnerships with reputable institutions enhance its credibility and market position. Growth indicators include active event participation and collaborations with international organizations. The lab's digital presence is well-structured but could benefit from enhanced privacy and security features to align with best practices.
Extracted Contact Information
Marketing Intelligence Data
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The website demonstrates a moderate to good security posture with HTTPS enabled and no visible sensitive data exposure. However, the lack of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options reduces its defense-in-depth. The presence of an unconfigured Google Analytics plugin and absence of cookie consent mechanisms indicate gaps in privacy compliance, particularly under GDPR. No incident response or security policy information is provided, which limits transparency. The site does not show signs of vulnerabilities or malware. To improve, the lab should implement recommended security headers, configure analytics properly, and add privacy and security policies to enhance user trust and compliance.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Implement standard security headers (CSP, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options) to improve security posture.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Scholarly Communications Lab
The ScholCommLab is an interdisciplinary team of researchers based in Vancouver and Ottawa, Canada, interested in all aspects of scholarly communication. They explore questions about knowledge production, dissemination, and use using computational and qualitative methods. They are associated with Simon Fraser University and the University of Ottawa.
good
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
basic
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced (implied by https URLs)
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- No visible vulnerable libraries
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is a professionally maintained academic research lab site.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
HIGHForces HTTPS connections
Missing X-Frame-Options header
HIGHPrevents clickjacking attacks
Missing X-Content-Type-Options header
MEDIUMPrevents MIME type sniffing
Missing Content-Security-Policy header
HIGHControls resources the browser is allowed to load
Missing X-XSS-Protection header
MEDIUMLegacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)
Missing Referrer-Policy header
LOWControls referrer information sent with requests
Missing Permissions-Policy header
MEDIUMControls browser features and APIs
👤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 APIs
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
Critical sector without clear security compliance
HIGHDetected sectors: transport, digital
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
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
DKIM Selectors Found
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
Weak Protocols Supported
HIGHServer supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1
OCSP Stapling Not Enabled
LOWOCSP stapling improves performance and privacy
Certificate Transparency Not Implemented
LOWCertificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs
SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days
MEDIUMSSL certificate expires in 54 days
Mixed Content Detected
MEDIUM4 resources loaded over insecure HTTP
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Protocol Support
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
CAA Records Not Configured
LOWCertificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found
Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled
LOWDomain can be deleted without additional verification
No DMARC Record
MEDIUMDMARC policy not configured
Domain Registration Details
- •Privacy/proxy registration detected
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