Berkeley Earth is a small, independent non-profit organization specializing in providing open-source, high-quality environmental and climate data and analysis. Established in 2010, it holds a reputable position as a trusted source for unbiased scientific information, targeting researchers, policymakers, and the general public interested in climate science. The organization actively publishes updates, reports, and hosts press briefings to disseminate its findings widely.
Technically, the website is built on WordPress with a modern tech stack including Yoast SEO, jQuery, and various plugins for anti-spam, data visualization, and user engagement. Hosting appears to be managed by WP Engine, ensuring reliable performance and security. The site is mobile-optimized with good SEO and accessibility features, though some accessibility aspects could be improved.
From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses domain status locks to protect domain integrity. It employs anti-spam measures and cookie consent mechanisms compliant with GDPR. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, and no explicit security headers were detected, suggesting room for improvement in hardening the security posture. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure policies are publicly available.
Overall, Berkeley Earth presents a professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained online presence with strong content quality and privacy compliance. Strategic enhancements in security headers, DNSSEC, and publishing security policies would further strengthen its security and compliance posture.
Scanned ·
NIS2 and GDPR posture
GDPR outside view
95/ 100 · Low
Checks completed
7of 7
NIS2 Art. 21(2)
a(a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
b(b) Incident handling: One indicator
c(c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
d(d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
e(e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
f(f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
g(g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
h(h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
i(i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
j(j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside
Partly checked
One indicator
Not visible from outside
This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.
GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.
Priority findings
5 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.
Security headers
Security headers are instructions your web server sends to every visitor’s browser. Missing ones leave visitors more exposed to attacks such as clickjacking and injected scripts.
High
Missing Strict-Transport-Security header
Forces HTTPS connections
What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"
This scan found 25 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.
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TLS certificates and expiry
DNS records
SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Security headers
GDPR and NIS2 posture
Exposed services
Third-party trackers
Security score drift
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Results by check
Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.
How this score is calculated
The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.
Counted in this score
SSL/TLS
42
Security headers
15
Email security
70
DNS health
80
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
95
Average
67
Not counted
NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.
Findings that cap the score at 49
Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.
The certificate is not trusted by browsers
The website is not served over HTTPS
A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
The page loads a script from a compromised source
The domain registration has expired
SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain
Partial scans
When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.
Risk levels
Critical0–25
High26–49
Medium50–75
Low76–100
Breach exposure
Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.
Dark web exposure
Add-on
Leaked records that mention berkeleyearth.org, from OffSeq Breach.
No leaked records found
Breach holds no records for berkeleyearth.org right now. New leaks arrive continuously, so monitoring on Breach alerts you if that changes.
Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.
Business context
Business profile
Berkeley Earth operates as a non-profit entity focused on environmental data and climate science. Its market positioning as an independent and unbiased data provider gives it a competitive advantage in the climate research sector. The business model revolves around open data dissemination, scientific reporting, and public engagement through reports and briefings. Revenue streams likely include donations and grants, supported by a donation page and 501(c)(3) status. The target customers include researchers, policymakers, NGOs, and environmentally conscious individuals. The organization maintains partnerships and a network of supporters, as indicated by its partners network page and social media presence. Growth indicators include regular updates, new projects like climate model synthesis, and collaborations with other platforms. The company demonstrates a clear strategic focus on transparency, scientific rigor, and accessibility.
Security posture
The website demonstrates a moderate to good security maturity level. HTTPS is enforced, and domain registration includes protective status locks. Anti-spam measures via CleanTalk and cookie consent mechanisms are implemented, supporting privacy compliance. However, the absence of DNSSEC and HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options indicates potential vulnerabilities. No public security policy or incident response contacts are provided, which could hinder timely vulnerability reporting and response. The site does not expose sensitive data or show signs of vulnerable libraries in the HTML content. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a non-profit informational site but could be improved to meet higher standards and compliance frameworks.
Recommendations
Enable DNSSEC on the domain to enhance DNS security and prevent spoofing.
Implement standard HTTP security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
Publish a formal security policy and provide clear incident response contact information.
Consider adding a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting.
Enhance accessibility features to improve compliance with WCAG standards and broaden audience reach.
Site observations
Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.
Business
Company
Berkeley Earth
Description
Berkeley Earth is the only source of reliable, independent, non-governmental, and unbiased scientific data and analysis of the highest quality.
Key services
Environmental data collection, Climate analysis, Data visualization, Scientific reporting, Public briefings and updates
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent
Technology
Stack
WordPress, Yoast SEO, jQuery, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, CleanTalk Anti-Spam, Kadence Blocks, Photo Gallery plugin
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good
Security
Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
HTTPS enforced
Use of clientDeleteProhibited and other domain status locks
Anti-spam plugin (CleanTalk) in use
Cookie consent mechanism implemented
Analytics and tracking
Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good
Advertising
Tracking pixels
CleanTalk pixel
Marketing tools
Mailchimp, Cookiebot
Transparency
good
Site quality
Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
excellent
Navigation
good
Professionalism
good
Trustworthiness
high
Key observations
Website is professionally designed and well maintained.
Strong focus on independent, open-source environmental data.
Multiple recent updates and press briefings indicate active management.
Social media presence on major platforms supports outreach.
Use of modern WordPress plugins and SEO tools.
No exposed sensitive data or obvious security issues in HTML content.
Cookie consent and privacy policies are present and GDPR compliant.
No phone numbers or physical addresses explicitly listed on main pages.
Contact primarily via web form.
No terms of service page detected.
Technical notes
Notes
The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform with a modern and well-maintained technology stack including Yoast SEO for search optimization, CleanTalk for spam protection, and Mailchimp for email marketing. Hosting appears to be via WP Engine, a reputable managed WordPress host, ensuring good uptime and performance. The site uses standard web technologies such as jQuery and Google Analytics for tracking. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. Some technical debt is indicated by the lack of DNSSEC and missing security headers, which are relatively straightforward to implement. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports the organization's mission effectively but has opportunities for modernization and security hardening.
Standards and sources
Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.
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