Is sfu.ca Safe? Security Analysis for Simon Fraser University
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AI Summary
Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a prominent Canadian public university with a strong focus on research, education, and community engagement. The website reflects its market position as a leading comprehensive university in Canada, emphasizing innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity. The institution targets a broad audience including prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the general public. SFU offers a wide range of academic programs, campus services, and research initiatives, supported by a well-structured and content-rich digital presence. Technically, the website is built on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), leveraging modern JavaScript libraries such as jQuery and integrating multiple analytics and marketing tools including Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, and Twitter Tag. The site demonstrates good mobile optimization, accessibility, and SEO practices, although some improvements in performance and security headers could be made. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and avoids exposing sensitive data. However, it lacks explicit security headers and a cookie consent mechanism, which are important for compliance and user trust. The absence of WHOIS data is due to privacy protection by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), which is justified for a large educational institution. No signs of malicious activity or vulnerabilities were detected. Overall, SFU's website is professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained, supporting its reputation as a leading university. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, implementing cookie consent for GDPR compliance, and publishing clear security and incident response policies to further strengthen trust and compliance.
Detected Technologies
🧠AI Business Intelligence
Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.
Business Intelligence
Market & Strategic Analysis
SFU holds a strong market position as the #1 Canadian comprehensive university and ranks highly globally for innovation and sustainability. Its business model centers on providing quality education, research, and community services. Revenue streams likely include tuition, government funding, research grants, and donations. The university targets diverse customer segments including domestic and international students, faculty, alumni, and community partners. The website's extensive content and event calendar indicate active engagement and growth. Partnerships with government and accreditation bodies reinforce its credibility. The digital presence supports recruitment, community outreach, and brand building effectively.
Extracted Contact Information
Marketing Intelligence Data
Security Posture Analysis
Comprehensive Security Assessment
The security posture is mature with HTTPS enforced and no visible sensitive data leaks. The use of multiple tracking and marketing scripts is balanced with privacy policies, though cookie consent is missing. Lack of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options is a gap. No vulnerability disclosures or incident response contacts are published, which could be improved. The WHOIS privacy protection is appropriate and does not raise suspicion. Overall, the site is secure but could enhance transparency and compliance measures.
Strategic Recommendations
Priority Actions for Security Improvement
Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, and X-Frame-Options.
✨Observations
AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.
AI-Enhanced Website Analysis
Business Insights
Simon Fraser University
As Canada’s engaged university, SFU works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change.
excellent
consistent
Technical Stack
moderate
good
good
good
Security Assessment
- HTTPS enforced
- No exposed sensitive data in HTML
- Use of async loading for scripts
Analytics & Tracking
Advertising & Marketing
Website Quality Assessment
Key Observations
Website is fully accessible with rich content and multimedia
🛡️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
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
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
📧Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.
Email Security
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation
DMARC not enforcing
MEDIUMDMARC policy is set to "none"
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
DMARC Details
🏆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 58 days
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
Weak SPF Policy
HIGHSPF record has permissive policy allowing any server to send email
DMARC Policy Set to None
LOWDMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy
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