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Is washington.edu a Scam? Security Check Results - University of Washington Reviews

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Is washington.edu Safe? Security Analysis for University of Washington

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

EducationUnited Statesenterprise
WordPressGoogle Tag ManagerNew RelicMicrosoft ClarityFacebook Pixel+4 more
Analyzed 8/2/2025Completed 6:25:51 PM
58
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

The University of Washington website serves as the official digital presence of a major public research university in the United States. It provides comprehensive information about academic programs, research initiatives, campus life, admissions, and community engagement. The site targets students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the general public, offering a wide range of resources and news updates. The university holds a strong market position as a leading educational institution with a large enterprise-scale operation and multiple campuses.

Detected Technologies

WordPressGoogle Tag ManagerNew RelicMicrosoft ClarityFacebook PixelLinkedIn Insight TagCrazy EggjQueryBackbone.js

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The university operates primarily in the education sector, delivering academic and research services. Its business model is centered on public funding, tuition, research grants, and community partnerships. The website reflects a mature digital ecosystem with integration of multiple campuses and services such as MyUW and UW Medicine. The presence of extensive social media channels and marketing tools indicates a strategic approach to outreach and engagement. The institution's brand is consistent and professional, reinforcing its reputation and trustworthiness.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a strong security posture with HTTPS enforcement, modern security headers, and no visible vulnerabilities. It employs reputable analytics and marketing tools while maintaining privacy compliance through clear policies and consent mechanisms. However, explicit security policy and incident response information are not publicly available, and no vulnerability disclosure program is evident. The site would benefit from publishing these to enhance transparency and readiness. Overall, the security measures align well with the expectations for a large educational institution.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to improve transparency.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

University of Washington

Description:

The University of Washington is a public research university providing education, research, and community services. The website highlights news, events, academic departments, admissions, research, campuses, and giving opportunities.

Key Services:
Academic programsResearch initiativesStudent servicesCommunity engagementAlumni relations
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
WordPressGoogle Tag ManagerNew RelicMicrosoft ClarityFacebook PixelLinkedIn Insight TagCrazy EggjQueryBackbone.js
Frameworks:
WordPress CMS
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with proper labels and inputs

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google Analytics (via GTM)Microsoft ClaritySiteimprove AnalyticsNew Relic Browser
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
DoubleClick
Tracking Pixels:
Facebook PixelMicrosoft ClarityCrazy EggLinkedIn Insight Tag
Marketing Tools:
Microsoft ClarityCrazy Egg
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

Website is a professionally maintained university homepage with extensive content and resources.

🛡️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

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

60/100
Score

DMARC not enforcing

MEDIUM

DMARC policy is set to "none"

No DKIM record found

MEDIUM

DKIM adds cryptographic signatures to emails

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:%{ir}.%{v}.%{d}.spf.has.pphosted.com ?all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:?all
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:dmarc_rua@emaildefense.proofpoint.com
Forensic Reports:dmarc_ruf@emaildefense.proofpoint.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

67/100
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

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

7 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

65/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

Weak SPF Policy

HIGH

SPF record has permissive policy allowing any server to send email

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Expiry Risk
none(710 days)

DNS Records

A Records:34.82.219.4, 128.208.60.183, 34.168.51.100, 128.208.60.208
Name Servers:
hanna.cac.washington.eduDNS only
holly.s.uw.eduDNS only
marge.cac.washington.eduDNS only
MX Records:
100: mxb-00641c01.gslb.pphosted.com
100: mxa-00641c01.gslb.pphosted.com
SOA:Serial: 2025072500, TTL: 600s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:239ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:%{ir}.%{v}.%{d}.spf.has.pphosted.com ?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 on WordPress CMS with a modern technology stack including jQuery, Backbone.js, and various analytics and marketing integrations such as Google Tag Manager, Microsoft Clarity, and New Relic. The site is well-optimized for performance and mobile responsiveness, with good SEO and accessibility practices. The use of multiple tracking and advertising tools is balanced with privacy compliance. Hosting details are not explicitly identified, but the infrastructure supports fast loading and reliable user experience. Opportunities exist to further modernize and streamline third-party dependencies.
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