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Is sciforum.net a Scam? Security Check Results - MDPI AG Reviews

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Is sciforum.net Safe? Security Analysis for MDPI AG

Check if sciforum.net is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

EducationSwitzerlandmedium
HTML5CSS3JavaScriptjQueryFontAwesome+8 more
Analyzed 10/3/2025Completed 5:00:46 PM
72
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

Sciforum.net is a well-established academic event management platform operated by MDPI AG, a reputable Swiss publishing company. The platform facilitates organizing and participating in scientific events, webinars, and conferences, supporting the open science movement. It targets researchers, academics, and event organizers, offering a comprehensive suite of tools including schedule building, online registration, submission management, and post-event surveys. The website is professionally designed with excellent content quality and consistent branding, reflecting a mature digital presence.

Detected Technologies

HTML5CSS3JavaScriptjQueryFontAwesomeTooltipsterLightbox2Google Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsUsercentrics CMPreCAPTCHA v2Akamai CDNBoomerang performance monitoring

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The platform occupies a niche in the academic event management sector, leveraging MDPI's publishing ecosystem. Its business model centers on providing event organization services with customized support and pricing. The extensive list of forthcoming and ongoing events indicates active engagement and growth potential. The use of advanced marketing and analytics tools, combined with GDPR-compliant consent management, suggests a focus on user privacy and data-driven growth strategies. The absence of direct contact emails or phone numbers implies reliance on web forms for communication, which is common in such platforms.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website enforces HTTPS with TLS 1.3 and employs Google reCAPTCHA to mitigate bot activity. Consent management via Usercentrics ensures GDPR compliance for tracking and cookies. However, some security headers like Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, and Referrer-Policy are missing, representing an area for improvement. DNSSEC is not enabled, which could enhance DNS security. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analyzed content. Overall, the security posture is good but could be strengthened with additional headers and DNSSEC.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement a comprehensive Content-Security-Policy header to mitigate XSS and data injection attacks.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

MDPI AG

Description:

Sciforum is an event management platform that supports open science by offering the opportunity to organize and participate in academic events.

Key Services:
Event organization toolsOnline registrationSchedule buildingCall for papers and submissionsMailing listsBillingCopy editing and productionPost event surveysAward managementEvent gallery
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
HTML5CSS3JavaScriptjQueryFontAwesomeTooltipsterLightbox2Google Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsUsercentrics CMPreCAPTCHA v2Akamai CDNBoomerang performance monitoring
Frameworks:
Foundation (CSS framework)
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
75/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA for bot protection
  • Consent management for cookies and tracking
  • ClientTransferProhibited domain status to prevent unauthorized transfers

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerBoomerang (performance monitoring)
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Twitter AdsFacebook Ads
Tracking Pixels:
Facebook PixelTwitter Universal Website Tag
Marketing Tools:
Usercentrics Consent Management Platform
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

Design Quality:excellent
User Experience:good
Content Relevance:excellent
Navigation Clarity:good
Professionalism:excellent
Trustworthiness:high

Key Observations

1

Website is a professional academic event management platform supporting open science.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

35/100
Score

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

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

70/100
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

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

25/100
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 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

100/100
Score
No issues found
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 a ip4:195.65.194.201 ip4:195.65.194.202 ip4:195.65.194.203 ip4:195.65.194.209 ip4:212.243.204.66 ip4:195.65.194.216 ip4:195.65.194.219 a:scilit.net -all
DNS Lookups:3/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:mail(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:admin@sciforum.net
MTA-STS Details

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

80/100
Score

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:*.sciforum.net
Issuer:DigiCert Global G3 TLS ECC SHA384 2020 CA1
Valid Until:8/25/2026 (326 days)
SANs:*.sciforum.net, sciforum.net

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

80/100
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 Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
23 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(124 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:2.21.239.25, 2.21.239.27
AAAA Records:2a02:26f0:41::215:f0be, 2a02:26f0:41::215:f0b4
Name Servers:
a1-160.akam.net
a26-65.akam.net
a3-64.akam.net
a5-67.akam.net
a6-66.akam.net
a8-66.akam.net
MX Records:
10: mail.sciforum.net
SOA:Serial: 2024103010, TTL: 300s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:164ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 mx a ip4:195.65.194.201 ip4:195.65.194.202 ip4:195.65.194.203 ip4:195.65.194.209 ip4:212.243.204.66 ip4:195.65.194.216 ip4:195.65.194.219 a:scilit.net -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 technology stack including HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and popular libraries like jQuery, FontAwesome, Tooltipster, and Lightbox2. It leverages Google Tag Manager and Analytics for marketing and performance monitoring, alongside Usercentrics for consent management. Hosting is supported by Akamai CDN, enhancing content delivery performance. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design using the Foundation CSS framework. Performance is moderate, with room for optimization. Accessibility features are basic but present. SEO is well addressed with proper meta tags and Open Graph data. The CMS appears custom-built, tailored for event management needs.
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