Is service.gov.uk Safe? Security Analysis for Government Digital Service
Check if service.gov.uk is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.
AI Summary
GOV.UK is the official digital portal of the UK government, operated by the Government Digital Service. It provides comprehensive access to government services and information for UK residents, businesses, and citizens. The website is a primary source for a wide range of public services including benefits, passports, tax, and legal information. It holds a strong market position as the authoritative government web presence with a long-established domain since 1996. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including govuk-frontend framework, JavaScript, and SVG graphics. It is optimized for performance, accessibility, and mobile responsiveness. The site uses Google Analytics 4 for user behavior tracking and includes a cookie consent mechanism to comply with privacy regulations. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS, uses secure forms with anti-spam measures, and implements cookie consent banners. However, explicit security policies and incident response information are not publicly published, and no vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file is found. The WHOIS data confirms the domain's legitimacy and consistency with UK government ownership. Overall, GOV.UK demonstrates a high level of professionalism, trustworthiness, and compliance with privacy standards. It is a safe and reliable resource for government-related information and services.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
GOV.UK serves as the central digital platform for UK government services, targeting a broad audience including citizens, businesses, and public sector entities. Its business model is public sector service delivery, focusing on accessibility and transparency. The site benefits from strong trust signals such as official domain registration, Crown copyright, and Open Government Licence. It leverages partnerships with government departments and agencies to provide up-to-date information. The platform's extensive service offerings and user-centric design support its position as a critical government resource. The website's growth and sustainability are supported by continuous updates, user feedback mechanisms, and integration with government digital initiatives. Its strategic focus on accessibility and compliance ensures broad usability and legal adherence.
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The security posture of GOV.UK is robust with enforced HTTPS, secure form handling, and cookie consent mechanisms. The site avoids exposing sensitive data in its HTML and uses nonce attributes in inline scripts to mitigate injection risks. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure program represents an area for improvement. The use of third-party analytics is transparent and privacy-conscious. Overall, the site maintains a strong security baseline appropriate for a government portal but could enhance transparency and incident readiness. No vulnerabilities or security misconfigurations were detected in the provided content. The domain's WHOIS data and hosting details align with expected government standards, further supporting trust.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and user guidance.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Government Digital Service
GOV.UK is the UK government's official website providing access to government services and information.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
fast
excellent
excellent
excellent
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- Cookie consent banner with acceptance/rejection options
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Secure forms with anti-spam honeypot field
- Use of nonce in inline scripts
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Official UK government website with comprehensive public service information
🛡️Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.
Security Headers
HTTP security headers analysis
Weak X-Frame-Options configuration
LOWCurrent value: "ALLOWALL"
Weak X-Content-Type-Options configuration
LOWCurrent value: "nosniff, nosniff"
Missing X-XSS-Protection header
MEDIUMLegacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)
Missing Referrer-Policy header
LOWControls referrer information sent with requests
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 Data Protection Officer mentioned
LOWLarge organizations may need to designate a DPO under GDPR
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
Critical sector without clear security compliance
HIGHDetected sectors: energy, transport, banking, digital
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'default' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'google' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'k1' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'k2' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'selector1' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'selector2' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'mail' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'email' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 'dkim' uses 32-bit key
Weak DKIM Key
HIGHDKIM selector 's1' uses 32-bit key
Strict DMARC Alignment
LOWStrict alignment may cause legitimate emails to fail
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
DMARC Details
🏆SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis.
SSL/TLS Security
Certificate validity and encryption analysis
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
CAA Records Not Configured
LOWCertificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found
Domain Transfer Lock Not Enabled
MEDIUMDomain can be transferred without authorization
Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled
LOWDomain can be deleted without additional verification
Domain Registration Details
- •No domain protection locks enabled
DNS Records
DNSSEC Status
⚡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