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Is stacks.org a Scam? Security Check Results - Stacks Open Internet Foundation Reviews

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Is stacks.org Safe? Security Analysis for Stacks Open Internet Foundation

Check if stacks.org is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

TechnologyUnited Statesmedium
jQuery 1.10.2Tilda CMS scripts and stylesPlausible Analytics
Analyzed 9/6/2025Completed 12:03:32 AM
65
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The Stacks Foundation is a US-based non-profit organization dedicated to activating the Bitcoin economy by supporting builders, developers, and the broader ecosystem through grants, educational programs, and community development. The foundation positions itself as a key player in the blockchain and Bitcoin ecosystem, focusing on open-source technology, governance, and ecosystem growth. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand with clear messaging aligned to its mission. Technically, the site is built on the Tilda CMS platform, uses modern JavaScript libraries like jQuery, and integrates privacy-conscious analytics via Plausible. The site is mobile-optimized and well-structured, though some accessibility features could be improved. Security posture is generally good with HTTPS and domain transfer protection, but lacks DNSSEC and explicit security headers. Privacy compliance is limited by the absence of visible privacy and cookie policies or consent mechanisms. No contact emails or phone numbers are explicitly provided, which may limit direct user engagement. Overall, the domain registration data is consistent and supports the legitimacy of the foundation.

Detected Technologies

jQuery 1.10.2Tilda CMS scripts and stylesPlausible Analytics

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Stacks Foundation operates in the technology and non-profit sectors, focusing on blockchain and Bitcoin ecosystem development. Its business model revolves around funding, education, and community support rather than commercial sales. The foundation leverages partnerships with educational entities like Clarity Camp and Mintery to enhance skill development. Its market position is that of a trusted ecosystem enabler with a medium organizational size and a history dating back to 2005. The foundation's revenue streams likely include donations, grants, and sponsorships typical of non-profits. The website content and external links indicate a strong partnership ecosystem and a focus on open governance and decentralized technology development.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level. HTTPS is enforced, and the domain is registered with transfer protection, indicating basic security hygiene. However, the lack of DNSSEC and security headers such as Content Security Policy or HSTS reduces the overall security posture. No vulnerability disclosure or incident response information is provided, which could hinder rapid response to security incidents. The absence of privacy and cookie policies also suggests gaps in compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the provided content. The use of privacy-respecting analytics is a positive indicator. Overall, the security posture is adequate but could be improved with enhanced policies and technical controls.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC on the domain to protect against DNS spoofing and improve domain security.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Stacks Open Internet Foundation

Description:

The Stacks Foundation supports builders on a mission to activate the Bitcoin economy through broader adoption. They believe Bitcoin and adjacent open-source technology ecosystems will become the foundation for a safer, more equitable, more open internet.

Key Services:
Grants program for open-source technology developmentResidents program (experts in ecosystem)Community development and grassroots event fundingEducational programming and skill developmentTechnical guidance and ecosystem partnerships
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
jQuery 1.10.2Tilda CMS scripts and stylesPlausible Analytics
Frameworks:
Tilda website builder framework
Platforms:
Tilda CMS
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
75/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Domain status clientTransferProhibited
  • Use of Cloudflare registrar

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Plausible Analytics
Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Plausible Analytics
Marketing Tools:
Plausible Analytics
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is professionally designed and well-structured.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

30/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

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

Sensitive data may be cached

LOW

Cache-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

58/100
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

Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant

MEDIUM

Privacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements

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

17/100
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 business continuity planning found

MEDIUM

NIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity

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

85/100
Score

Strict DMARC Alignment

LOW

Strict alignment may cause legitimate emails to fail

No BIMI Record

LOW

BIMI displays brand logos in email clients

No MTA-STS Policy

MEDIUM

MTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery

No TLS-RPT Record

LOW

TLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues

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 a mx include:spf.mtasv.net include:_spf.google.com include:_spf.sender-sib.com include:spf.sendinblue.com mx ~all
DNS Lookups:7/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:mail(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine
Subdomain Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc@stacks.org

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

72/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

OCSP Stapling Not Enabled

LOW

OCSP stapling improves performance and privacy

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 78 days

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.2TLSv1.3TLSv1.1

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
20 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(289 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:5.181.161.99
Name Servers:
ali.ns.cloudflare.com
neil.ns.cloudflare.com
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 2380870403, TTL: 1800s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:193ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 a mx include:spf.mtasv.net include:_spf.google.com include:_spf.sender-sib.com include:spf.sendinblue.com mx ~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 is built using the Tilda CMS platform, leveraging jQuery 1.10.2 and various Tilda-specific scripts and styles. It uses Cloudflare as the registrar and likely for DNS and CDN services, contributing to good hosting reliability and security. The site includes plausible.io analytics, which is privacy-focused and lightweight. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and uses modern CSS and JavaScript animations. Performance is moderate, with some external dependencies on Tilda CDN and third-party scripts. There is no evidence of outdated or vulnerable libraries in the provided content. Opportunities exist to improve accessibility and SEO further by adding ARIA roles and more semantic markup. Overall, the technical infrastructure is solid for a non-profit foundation website.
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