Skip to main content

Is va.gov a Scam? Security Check Results - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Reviews

va.gov favicon

Is va.gov Safe? Security Analysis for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Check if va.gov is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

GovernmentUnited Statesenterprise
Google Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsWeb ComponentsPolyfillsJavaScript ES6++1 more
Analyzed 9/5/2025Completed 1:19:07 PM
71
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs operates the official VA.gov website, serving as the primary digital portal for Veterans, service members, and their families to access and manage a wide range of benefits and healthcare services. The site is positioned as a critical government resource, offering comprehensive information and online tools for claims, health care management, education benefits, employment support, housing assistance, and more. It targets a broad audience within the veteran community and related stakeholders, emphasizing accessibility and ease of use. Technically, the website leverages modern web technologies including Drupal CMS, Web Components, and cloud hosting on AWS GovCloud, ensuring robust performance, mobile optimization, and compliance with government accessibility standards. Integration with Google Tag Manager and Digital Analytics Program indicates mature analytics capabilities while maintaining user privacy. The site demonstrates excellent SEO and content structuring, supporting discoverability and user engagement. From a security perspective, VA.gov enforces HTTPS with strong SSL configurations and likely employs standard security headers, though explicit header details are not visible. The site avoids exposing sensitive data and uses secure forms. However, there is room for improvement in publishing explicit security policies, vulnerability disclosure mechanisms, and cookie consent management to enhance transparency and compliance. Overall, VA.gov presents a highly trustworthy, professional, and secure government website with excellent content quality and user experience. The domain is a .gov domain, which inherently carries strong legitimacy and trust. The site effectively supports its mission to provide Veterans with accessible and reliable digital services. Strategic recommendations include enhancing privacy and security disclosures and formalizing incident response contacts to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Detected Technologies

Google Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsWeb ComponentsPolyfillsJavaScript ES6+S3 AWS GovCloud hosting

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

VA.gov is a flagship government digital service providing centralized access to Veterans Affairs benefits and healthcare programs. Its market position is unique as the official U.S. government portal for Veterans, ensuring a monopoly in this niche. The business model is service-oriented, funded by government budgets, focusing on delivering public services rather than revenue generation. The site supports a wide range of benefits programs, indicating a complex ecosystem with multiple stakeholder groups including Veterans, families, caregivers, and government agencies. The presence of extensive outreach, social media engagement, and feedback mechanisms suggests a mature digital engagement strategy. The site’s integration with other government domains and resources reflects a strong partnership ecosystem within federal services.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Phone Numbers (1)

800*******

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The security posture of VA.gov is robust, leveraging HTTPS with strong SSL/TLS configurations and likely employing standard security headers to protect users. The site avoids exposing sensitive information in its HTML content and uses secure input forms. While no explicit vulnerability disclosures or incident response contacts are published, the site’s government status implies adherence to federal security standards such as NIST frameworks. Analytics and tracking are implemented with privacy considerations, though cookie consent mechanisms are not evident. No vulnerabilities or suspicious activities were detected in the provided content. Overall, the site demonstrates a high level of security maturity appropriate for a government service portal.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement and display a comprehensive cookie consent banner to comply with privacy regulations and enhance user transparency.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Description:

Official website of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs providing information and management of VA benefits and care for Veterans, service members, and their families.

Key Services:
Health care benefits and managementDisability claims and benefitsEducation and training benefitsCareers and employment supportPension benefitsHousing assistanceLife insuranceBurials and memorialsRecords management
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Google Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsWeb ComponentsPolyfillsJavaScript ES6+S3 AWS GovCloud hosting
Frameworks:
Drupal (liquid templates)US Web Design System (USWDS)
Platforms:
AWS GovCloud
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

excellent

SEO:

excellent

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Secure cookie usage implied
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of secure forms and inputs
  • No vulnerable libraries detected in scripts

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerDigital Analytics Program
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Tracking Pixels:
Digital Analytics Program (dap.digitalgov.gov)
Marketing Tools:
Medallia feedback system
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Official U.S. government website for Veterans Affairs

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

45/100
Score

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

53/100
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

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

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

82/100
Score

No DKIM record found

MEDIUM

DKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails

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 mx ip4:152.130.26.32/27 ip4:152.131.26.32/27 ip4:152.132.26.32/27 ip4:152.133.26.32/27 ip4:152.129.0.0/16 ip6:2600:8000:0:10::0/112 ip6:2600:8010:0:10::0/112 ip6:2600:8020:0:10::0/112 ip6:2600:8030:0:10::0/112 -all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:-all
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:reports@dmarc.cyber.dhs.gov
MTA-STS Details

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

100/100
Score

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 2 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Certificate Details

Subject:www.va.gov
Issuer:Sectigo RSA Domain Validation Secure Server CA
Valid Until:1/18/2026 (135 days)
SANs:www.va.gov, va.gov

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
27 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(332 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • Privacy/proxy registration detected

DNS Records

A Records:152.133.106.221
AAAA Records:2600:8010:0:28::28:221
Name Servers:
ns1x.va.gov
ns2x.va.gov
ns3x.va.gov
ns4x.va.gov
MX Records:
10: mx20.va.gov
SOA:Serial: 2025090420, TTL: 7200s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:171ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 mx ip4:152.130.26.32/27 ip4:152.131.26.32/27 ip4:152.132.26.32/27 ip4:152.133.26.32/27 ip4:152.129.0.0/16 ip6:2600:8000:0:10::0/112 ip6:2600:8010:0:10::0/112 ip6:2600:8020:0:10::0/112 ip6:2600:8030:0:10::0/112 -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

VA.gov is built on a modern technical stack including Drupal CMS with liquid templating, Web Components for UI elements, and hosted on AWS GovCloud, ensuring compliance with government hosting requirements. The site uses Google Tag Manager and Digital Analytics Program scripts for analytics and event tracking. Performance is optimized with preloading fonts, deferred scripts, and responsive design. Accessibility is prioritized with skip links, ARIA attributes, and compliance references. The site architecture supports scalability and security, though explicit security headers are not visible in the provided data. Overall, the technical implementation reflects a mature, well-maintained government digital service platform.
Analyze Another Website