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Is mass.gov a Scam? Security Check Results - Commonwealth of Massachusetts

mass.gov Security Report Summary

mass.gov received a security score of 59 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Elevated Risk". This report covers Commonwealth of Massachusetts's website security posture. Commonwealth of Massachusetts operates in the Government industry in United States.

Mass.gov is the official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, serving as a comprehensive portal for government services, information, and resources. It targets residents, businesses, visitors, and government employees, providing key services such as unemployment benefits application, vehicle registration renewal, tax refund checking, and access to state organizations. The site is positioned as the authoritative source for Massachusetts state government information and services. Technically, the website is built on Drupal 11 CMS and integrates modern analytics and monitoring tools including Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and New Relic Browser. It demonstrates excellent mobile optimization, accessibility, and SEO practices, ensuring a high-quality user experience. The site uses HTTPS with strong SSL configuration, though explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy are not visibly set. From a security perspective, the site follows good practices such as enforcing HTTPS and avoiding exposure of sensitive data. However, it lacks some security headers and a cookie consent mechanism, which are recommended for enhanced security and privacy compliance. The WHOIS data is unavailable, likely due to .gov domain registry policies, but the website's branding and content strongly support its legitimacy. Overall, Mass.gov is a well-designed, secure, and authoritative government portal with minor areas for improvement in privacy compliance and security header implementation. It poses low risk and serves as a trusted resource for Massachusetts residents and stakeholders.

The security scan identified 32 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: Drupal 11 CMS, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Translate Widget, New Relic Browser monitoring.

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 mass.gov Safe? Security Analysis for Commonwealth of Massachusetts

https://www.mass.gov/

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

GovernmentUnited Statesenterprise
Drupal 11 CMSGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle Translate WidgetNew Relic Browser monitoring
Analyzed Completed
59
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Below Government avg (70)

GDPR-aligned

Data handling

EU

Hosting region

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AI Summary

Mass.gov is the official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, serving as a comprehensive portal for government services, information, and resources. It targets residents, businesses, visitors, and government employees, providing key services such as unemployment benefits application, vehicle registration renewal, tax refund checking, and access to state organizations. The site is positioned as the authoritative source for Massachusetts state government information and services. Technically, the website is built on Drupal 11 CMS and integrates modern analytics and monitoring tools including Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and New Relic Browser. It demonstrates excellent mobile optimization, accessibility, and SEO practices, ensuring a high-quality user experience. The site uses HTTPS with strong SSL configuration, though explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy are not visibly set. From a security perspective, the site follows good practices such as enforcing HTTPS and avoiding exposure of sensitive data. However, it lacks some security headers and a cookie consent mechanism, which are recommended for enhanced security and privacy compliance. The WHOIS data is unavailable, likely due to .gov domain registry policies, but the website's branding and content strongly support its legitimacy. Overall, Mass.gov is a well-designed, secure, and authoritative government portal with minor areas for improvement in privacy compliance and security header implementation. It poses low risk and serves as a trusted resource for Massachusetts residents and stakeholders.

Detected Technologies

Drupal 11 CMSGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle Translate WidgetNew Relic Browser monitoring

11 urgent findings need attention

11 high

  • + 3 more findings in the full report below
Continuous monitoring

Keep mass.gov under constant watch

Guard tracks your live infrastructure daily: certificate expiry, DNS & mail authentication drift, uptime changes, subdomain inventory, and unexpected tracker or content shifts. A full timeline captures every diff so you can prove remediation and spot regressions instantly.

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

7 findings

20/100

GDPR Compliance

4 findings

53/100

NIS2 Compliance

8 findings

17/100

Email Security

4 findings

75/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

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

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

Mass.gov operates as a government service portal for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, providing essential public services and information. Its market position is that of the official state government website, which grants it high trust and authority. The business model is non-commercial, focused on public service delivery. The site supports a broad target audience including residents, businesses, and visitors. Key services include unemployment benefits, vehicle registration, tax information, and access to government departments. The website's partnership ecosystem includes official social media channels and search services. Growth indicators include continuous content updates and integration of modern web technologies. Strategic observations highlight strong branding consistency and comprehensive service coverage.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The security posture of Mass.gov is solid, with HTTPS enforced site-wide and no visible exposure of sensitive data. The use of New Relic Browser monitoring indicates active performance and error tracking. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Referrer-Policy represents an area for improvement. The lack of a cookie consent mechanism may impact GDPR compliance. No vulnerabilities or malicious content were detected in the analyzed content. Incident response and security policy information are not publicly disclosed on the site. Overall, the site demonstrates good security hygiene but could enhance its defenses with additional headers and privacy controls.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Implement explicit Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Referrer-Policy headers to strengthen security.

Observations

Comprehensive website and business-context analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Description:

Official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts providing government services, information, and resources to residents, businesses, and visitors.

Key Services:
Unemployment benefits applicationVehicle registration renewalTax refund checkingCourt docket searchHousing assistance informationMassHealth updatesAccess to state organizations and departments
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Drupal 11 CMSGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle Translate WidgetNew Relic Browser monitoring
Frameworks:
Drupal
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

fast

Mobile:

excellent

Accessibility:

excellent

SEO:

excellent

Security Assessment

Security Score:
85/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of security monitoring tools (New Relic)

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerNew Relic Browser
Tracking Level:moderate
Privacy Compliance:basic

Advertising & Marketing

Marketing Tools:
Maze Universal Loader
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

Official state government website with comprehensive public services

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

20/100
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

👤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

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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:%{ir}.%{v}.%{d}.spf.has.pphosted.com ~all
DNS Lookups:1/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:selector1(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:none
Subdomain Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:[email protected]
Forensic Reports:[email protected]

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

42/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

SSL Certificate Expires Within 90 Days

MEDIUM

SSL certificate expires in 70 days

Weak SSL Key Length

HIGH

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

HSTS Not Enabled

MEDIUM

HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is not configured

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

80/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

DMARC Policy Set to None

LOW

DMARC is configured but not enforcing any policy

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
25 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
none(384 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • Privacy/proxy registration detected

DNS Records

A Records:76.223.33.104, 13.248.160.110
Name Servers:
a1-243.akam.net
a11-66.akam.net
a16-64.akam.net
a18-66.akam.net
a5-66.akam.net
a8-67.akam.net
MX Records:
10: mxa-0018e801.gslb.pphosted.com
10: mxb-0018e801.gslb.pphosted.com
SOA:Serial: 2017322814, TTL: 900s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Enabled(Algorithm: 8)

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:30ms

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

How does mass.gov compare?

See how mass.gov 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

Mass.gov is built on Drupal 11 CMS, leveraging a modern technology stack including Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and New Relic for monitoring. The site is well-optimized for performance and mobile responsiveness, with excellent accessibility features. Structured data using JSON-LD enhances SEO and content discoverability. The hosting provider is not explicitly identified, but the site uses HTTPS with strong SSL configuration. The technical implementation reflects a mature and well-maintained infrastructure suitable for a large government portal. Opportunities exist to improve security headers and privacy mechanisms to align with best practices.
Professional Report

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Optional add-ons

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Your order

Full Report
PDF · email delivery · lifetime access
39.90
Total
Incl. 21% VAT
39.90
Already purchased? Enter unlock code
VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Payvia EveryPay
SEQ SIA
Reg. No. 40203410806 · VAT LV40203410806

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