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Is umass.edu a Scam? Security Check Results - University of Massachusetts Amherst

umass.edu Security Report Summary

umass.edu received a security score of 64 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers University of Massachusetts Amherst's website security posture. University of Massachusetts Amherst operates in the Education industry in United States.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst website serves as the digital presence of the largest public research university in New England. It offers comprehensive academic programs, research initiatives, and student services targeted at prospective and current students, faculty, staff, and families. The site reflects a strong institutional brand with consistent messaging and a focus on education and research excellence. Technically, the site is built on Drupal CMS and integrates multiple modern analytics and marketing tools, indicating a mature digital infrastructure. Security posture is adequate with HTTPS enabled, though there is room for improvement in implementing security headers and privacy compliance. Overall, the site is professional, trustworthy, and accessible, with no indications of malicious activity or content safety concerns.

The security scan identified 29 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: Drupal CMS, Google Tag Manager, TikTok Analytics, Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, YouTube API.

About this security scan

Guard performs automated security assessments of websites by analyzing SSL/TLS certificates, HTTP security headers, DNS configuration, email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), GDPR compliance indicators, NIS2 directive compliance, network exposure, and AI-powered business intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

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Is umass.edu Safe? Security Analysis for University of Massachusetts Amherst

https://umass.edu

Check if umass.edu is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

EducationUnited Stateslarge
Drupal CMSGoogle Tag ManagerTikTok AnalyticsFacebook PixelLinkedIn Insight Tag+1 more
Analyzed 7/27/2025Completed 7:56:02 AM8mo ago
64
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Above Education avg (55)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

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Domainumass.edu
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AI Summary

The University of Massachusetts Amherst website serves as the digital presence of the largest public research university in New England. It offers comprehensive academic programs, research initiatives, and student services targeted at prospective and current students, faculty, staff, and families. The site reflects a strong institutional brand with consistent messaging and a focus on education and research excellence. Technically, the site is built on Drupal CMS and integrates multiple modern analytics and marketing tools, indicating a mature digital infrastructure. Security posture is adequate with HTTPS enabled, though there is room for improvement in implementing security headers and privacy compliance. Overall, the site is professional, trustworthy, and accessible, with no indications of malicious activity or content safety concerns.

Detected Technologies

Drupal CMSGoogle Tag ManagerTikTok AnalyticsFacebook PixelLinkedIn Insight TagYouTube API

9 urgent findings need attention

9 high

  • + 1 more findings in the full report below
Continuous monitoring

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Security drift alerts

Risk score drops, new high-severity issues, and header hardening gaps

Compliance watch

GDPR / NIS2 posture changes with governance evidence snapshots

Infrastructure surface

Unexpected open services, SSL expiry, DNS & email authentication changes

Content & tracker intelligence

Marketing tech shifts, analytics drift, and AI recommendation updates

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Security Headers

8 findings

15/100

GDPR Compliance

3 findings

68/100

NIS2 Compliance

7 findings

25/100

Email Security

4 findings

75/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

UMass Amherst holds a significant market position as a leading public research university, serving a large and diverse student body. Its business model revolves around education, research funding, and community engagement. The website supports this by providing targeted information for various user groups and linking to affiliated domains such as alumni and athletics. The presence of extensive third-party tracking suggests a focus on marketing and user engagement analytics. The lack of explicit privacy and cookie policies may pose compliance risks. The university's brand and domain (.edu) confer high credibility and trust in the education sector.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website employs HTTPS, ensuring encrypted communications. However, the absence of explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options reduces defense-in-depth. Multiple third-party scripts increase the attack surface and require vigilant monitoring. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerabilities were detected in the provided content. Privacy compliance is limited, with no visible cookie consent mechanisms or detailed privacy policies, which could be a compliance gap under GDPR or similar regulations. Incident response and security policy information are not publicly evident, suggesting potential areas for transparency improvement.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with clear user consent mechanisms to enhance GDPR compliance.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Description:

UMass Amherst is the largest public research university in New England distinguished by top-ranked academics, innovative research, and programs.

Key Services:
Academic programsResearch initiativesStudent servicesAthleticsAlumni relationsLibrary services
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Drupal CMSGoogle Tag ManagerTikTok AnalyticsFacebook PixelLinkedIn Insight TagYouTube API
Frameworks:
Drupal
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
75/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Use of security-related meta tags

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
TikTok AnalyticsGoogle Analytics (via GTM)Facebook AnalyticsLinkedIn Analytics
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
StackAdapt
Tracking Pixels:
TikTok PixelFacebook PixelLinkedIn Insight
Transparency Level:basic

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is a public university site with extensive academic and institutional content.

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

15/100
Score

Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

HIGH

Forces HTTPS connections

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

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

68/100
Score

No Cookie Policy found

HIGH

GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

No Data Protection Officer mentioned

LOW

Large organizations may need to designate a DPO under GDPR

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

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

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📧Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

75/100
Score

DMARC not enforcing

MEDIUM

DMARC policy is set to "none"

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 include:_spf.umass_edu._d.easydmarc.pro ~all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:k2(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:selector1(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:45cdd40a45@rua.easydmarc.us
Forensic Reports:45cdd40a45@ruf.easydmarc.us

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

70/100
Score

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

2 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:www.umass.edu
Issuer:DigiCert TLS RSA SHA256 2020 CA1
Valid Until:1/21/2026 (178 days)
SANs:www.umass.edu, umass.edu

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

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Expiry Risk
none(490 days)

DNS Records

A Records:128.119.8.148
Name Servers:
ns1.umass.eduDNS only
ns2.umass.eduDNS only
ns3.umass.eduDNS only
MX Records:
5: umass-edu.mail.protection.outlook.com
SOA:Serial: 2015014979, TTL: 600s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:177ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.umass_edu._d.easydmarc.pro ~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

How does umass.edu compare?

See how umass.edu stacks up against similar websites in the same industry.

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website is powered by Drupal CMS, leveraging modern web technologies including Google Tag Manager and various social media analytics pixels. The site demonstrates good mobile optimization and accessibility features. Performance is moderate, with asynchronous loading of scripts to improve user experience. The extensive use of third-party tracking and advertising scripts indicates a sophisticated marketing infrastructure but also introduces potential privacy and security risks. The lack of visible WHOIS data for the subdomain is consistent with it being part of the main umass.edu domain. Overall, the technical implementation supports a robust and scalable educational website.
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PDF Report & Export

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Marketing Intelligence

Contact emails, phone numbers & warm leads

49.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domainumass.edu
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

Secure payments processed via EveryPay. Prices in EUR; Incl. 21% VAT.

SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

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