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Is citizensadvice.org.uk a Scam? Security Check Results - Citizens Advice

citizensadvice.org.uk Security Report Summary

citizensadvice.org.uk received a security score of 73 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers Citizens Advice's website security posture. Citizens Advice operates in the Non-profit industry in United Kingdom.

Citizens Advice is a prominent UK non-profit organization providing free advice and support services across a broad range of social and legal issues. The website serves as a comprehensive platform for public guidance, featuring extensive content on benefits, work, debt, consumer rights, housing, family, law, immigration, and health. It targets the general public in the UK, particularly England, with localized advice for other UK nations. The organization operates with a large volunteer base and is recognized as a registered charity with strong trust indicators. Technically, the website employs modern web standards including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript with features like autocomplete search and content delivery via Contentful. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and SEO-friendly, providing a smooth user experience. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS and uses content security policies, but lacks some advanced security headers and explicit incident response information. The WHOIS data for the domain is unavailable due to a Nominet UK query error, likely caused by querying the subdomain rather than the root domain. Despite this, the website's legitimacy is supported by consistent branding, official registration details, and a professional online presence. Privacy compliance is strong with clear cookie consent mechanisms and comprehensive privacy policies. Overall, Citizens Advice presents a secure, trustworthy, and user-friendly platform aligned with its mission to provide free advice and support to the UK public. Strategic improvements could include enhanced security headers, publishing a security policy, and adding vulnerability disclosure information to further strengthen trust and security posture.

The security scan identified 24 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Autocomplete UI, Contentful (image hosting), Turbolinks.

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 business-context intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

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Is citizensadvice.org.uk Safe? Security Analysis for Citizens Advice

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

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Non-profitUnited Kingdomlarge
HTML5CSS3JavaScriptAutocomplete UIContentful (image hosting)+1 more
Analyzed Completed
73
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

GDPR-aligned

Data handling

EU

Hosting region

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AI Summary

Citizens Advice is a prominent UK non-profit organization providing free advice and support services across a broad range of social and legal issues. The website serves as a comprehensive platform for public guidance, featuring extensive content on benefits, work, debt, consumer rights, housing, family, law, immigration, and health. It targets the general public in the UK, particularly England, with localized advice for other UK nations. The organization operates with a large volunteer base and is recognized as a registered charity with strong trust indicators. Technically, the website employs modern web standards including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript with features like autocomplete search and content delivery via Contentful. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and SEO-friendly, providing a smooth user experience. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS and uses content security policies, but lacks some advanced security headers and explicit incident response information. The WHOIS data for the domain is unavailable due to a Nominet UK query error, likely caused by querying the subdomain rather than the root domain. Despite this, the website's legitimacy is supported by consistent branding, official registration details, and a professional online presence. Privacy compliance is strong with clear cookie consent mechanisms and comprehensive privacy policies. Overall, Citizens Advice presents a secure, trustworthy, and user-friendly platform aligned with its mission to provide free advice and support to the UK public. Strategic improvements could include enhanced security headers, publishing a security policy, and adding vulnerability disclosure information to further strengthen trust and security posture.

Detected Technologies

HTML5CSS3JavaScriptAutocomplete UIContentful (image hosting)Turbolinks

6 urgent findings need attention

6 high

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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

2 findings

85/100

GDPR Compliance

2 findings

83/100

NIS2 Compliance

9 findings

2/100

Email Security

4 findings

80/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Citizens Advice holds a leading position in the UK non-profit sector for public advice services. Its competitive advantage lies in its extensive volunteer network and comprehensive coverage of social issues. The business model is donation and grant-funded, focusing on accessibility and public service rather than commercial revenue. The target customers are individuals seeking free advice on legal, financial, and social matters. Growth indicators include active campaigning and research to influence policy. The organization maintains a transparent partnership ecosystem and strong public trust through regulatory registrations and clear communication.

Extracted Contact Information

Marketing Intelligence Data

Company Registration

Legal Name:

National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux

Registration Number:

01436945

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS, content security policies, and cookie consent mechanisms. However, it lacks explicit security headers such as HSTS and X-Frame-Options, and does not publish a dedicated security policy or incident response contact. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the provided content. Compliance with GDPR is evident through privacy and cookie policies. Incident response readiness and security culture indicators could be improved by publishing security contact channels and vulnerability disclosure processes.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement and enforce additional HTTP security headers like HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.

Observations

Comprehensive website and business-context analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Citizens Advice

Description:

Citizens Advice provides free online advice to help people find solutions to various problems. It also conducts research to campaign on issues affecting people's lives.

Key Services:
Advice on benefitsWork-related adviceDebt and money guidanceConsumer rightsHousing adviceFamily supportLaw and courts informationImmigration adviceHealth-related advice
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
HTML5CSS3JavaScriptAutocomplete UIContentful (image hosting)Turbolinks
Platforms:
Content Platform
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Content Security Policy nonce present
  • Cookie consent mechanism implemented
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics & Tracking

Tracking Level:minimal
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Transparency Level:basic

Website Quality Assessment

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

Key Observations

1

Website is fully accessible with rich content and navigation

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

85/100
Score

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

83/100
Score

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 Policy85% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
phone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

2/100
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

Critical sector without clear security compliance

HIGH

Detected sectors: energy, transport, health, digital

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📧Email Security

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

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

80/100
Score

Complex SPF record

LOW

Too many include statements can cause lookup limits

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.google.com include:eu._netblocks.mimecast.com include:_spf.citizensadvice.org.uk +include:outboundmail.blackbaud.net include:amazonses.com include:spf.ssmx.net -all
DNS Lookups:6/10
Policy:-all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:k1(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine
Aggregate Reports:[email protected]
Forensic Reports:[email protected]

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

82/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

Protocol Support

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Enabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

70/100
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 Transfer Lock Not Enabled

MEDIUM

Domain can be transferred without authorization

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
27 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(221 days)
Protection Level
none
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • No domain protection locks enabled

DNS Records

A Records:18.245.86.13, 18.245.86.5, 18.245.86.93, 18.245.86.83
Name Servers:
ns-1033.awsdns-01.orgDNS only
ns-1742.awsdns-25.co.ukDNS only
ns-482.awsdns-60.comDNS only
ns-814.awsdns-37.netDNS only
MX Records:
10: eu-smtp-inbound-1.mimecast.com
10: eu-smtp-inbound-2.mimecast.com
SOA:Serial: 1, TTL: 86400s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:28ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:eu._netblocks.mimecast.com include:_spf.citizensadvice.org.uk +include:outboundmail.blackbaud.net include:amazonses.com include:spf.ssmx.net -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 citizensadvice.org.uk compare?

See how citizensadvice.org.uk 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 uses a modern and clean technical infrastructure with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. It integrates autocomplete search functionality and uses Contentful for image hosting. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, with good SEO practices including meta tags and Open Graph data. Performance is moderate, with deferred loading of scripts. There is no explicit CMS detected, but the platform appears to be a custom content platform. Hosting provider details are not disclosed. Opportunities exist to improve technical security headers and to publish more detailed technical documentation for transparency.
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Reg. No. 40203410806 · VAT LV40203410806

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