Is scicomm.xyz Safe? Security Analysis for scicomm.xyz
Check if scicomm.xyz is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
scicomm.xyz is a specialized Mastodon instance dedicated to fostering a community for scientists, researchers, science students, and communicators. It provides a decentralized social media platform that encourages sharing research, asking and answering questions, and spreading scientific knowledge within the broader Mastodon fediverse. The platform operates with manual user vetting to maintain quality and community standards, supported by donations for running costs. The website is built on the open-source Mastodon software, hosted on DigitalOcean, and uses modern web technologies including React and ES modules. The site is mobile-optimized and provides a good user experience with clear navigation and relevant content for its niche audience. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS and uses subresource integrity for scripts and stylesheets, but lacks DNSSEC and some security headers, which are recommended improvements. Privacy compliance is basic, with a privacy policy present but no cookie consent mechanism or terms of service found. Contact information is limited to an admin email address. Overall, the site is trustworthy and well-aligned with its community-driven mission but could enhance security and privacy practices to better comply with regulations and improve user trust.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
The platform occupies a niche position within the federated social media ecosystem, targeting the scientific community and rational thinkers. Its business model is community-focused, relying on manual vetting and donations rather than commercial advertising or extensive tracking. This approach supports a trust-based environment and aligns with open-source principles. The platform's competitive advantage lies in its specialized audience and moderation policies that foster quality interactions. Growth indicators include an active user base of 237 monthly active users and ongoing registrations. The ecosystem includes links to the broader Mastodon network and related open-source projects, but no direct commercial partnerships or subsidiaries are identified. Strategic observations suggest opportunities to expand community engagement and improve compliance to attract a wider user base.
Extracted Contact Information
Marketing Intelligence Data
Email Addresses (1)
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The security posture of scicomm.xyz is moderate. The site uses HTTPS with valid SSL/TLS configuration and employs subresource integrity to protect against tampering of scripts and stylesheets. Domain registration includes standard locks to prevent unauthorized transfers or deletions. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, which could expose the domain to DNS spoofing attacks. The absence of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security reduces defense-in-depth. No explicit security policy or incident response contact information is published, limiting transparency in handling security events. Privacy compliance is minimal, lacking cookie consent mechanisms and terms of service, which may pose regulatory risks. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the content. Overall, the site demonstrates good baseline security but should implement recommended enhancements to strengthen its security posture and regulatory compliance.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Enable DNSSEC on the domain to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
scicomm.xyz
A decentralized social media instance aimed at scientists, researchers, science students, communicators, and enthusiasts to interact, share research, ask and answer questions, and spread scientific knowledge within the Mastodon fediverse.
good
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
basic
basic
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- Use of subresource integrity on scripts and stylesheets
- Domain status includes clientTransferProhibited, clientUpdateProhibited, clientDeleteProhibited
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is a Mastodon instance focused on science communication.
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Weak X-XSS-Protection configuration
LOWCurrent value: "0"
Missing Permissions-Policy header
MEDIUMControls browser features and APIs
Sensitive data may be cached
LOWCache-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
No Cookie Policy found
HIGHGDPR requires clear information about cookie usage
No Cookie Consent Banner found
HIGHGDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies
Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant
MEDIUMPrivacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements
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
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
No email authentication configured
CRITICALDomain is vulnerable to email spoofing
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days
MEDIUMSSL certificate expires in 56 days
Weak SSL Key Length
HIGHSSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak
Partial SSL/TLS Assessment
LOWCompleted 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints
Certificate Details
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
No DMARC Record
MEDIUMDMARC policy not configured
Domain Registration Details
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
DNS Performance
⚡Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis.
Network Security
Port scanning and network exposure analysis
Service Exposed: SSH
MEDIUMPort 22 (SSH) is publicly accessible - SSH - Secure but can be brute-forced
🔧Technical Analysis
Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.
Technical Analysis
Comprehensive security assessment findings