# BeaverCheck Audit Report — https://www.sciencedirect.com **Date:** April 7, 2026 **URL:** https://www.sciencedirect.com **Overall Grade:** C (79/100) **Report:** https://beavercheck.com/results/12e22fff-a926-8209-96d4-a5ca04272515 ## Top Findings 1. **[CRITICAL]** Content-Security-Policy header is missing — Security > Security Headers 2. **[CRITICAL]** No Content-Security-Policy header found — Security > Content Security Policy 3. **[WARNING]** HSTS max-age is too short (2678400s, should be ≥ 31536000s) — Security > Security Headers 4. **[WARNING]** No DMARC record found — Security > Email Security 5. **[WARNING]** Unattributable: 418ms CPU time — Performance > JS Execution Cost --- ## Lighthouse Scores | Category | Score | |----------|-------| | Performance | 57 | | Accessibility | 95 | | Best Practices | 92 | | SEO | 82 | --- ## Security ### Security Headers (B — 75/100) *8 of 10 headers properly configured* - **[WARNING]** HSTS max-age is too short (2678400s, should be ≥ 31536000s) — A short max-age leaves a window for downgrade attacks. Set max-age to at least 31536000 (1 year). - **[PASS]** X-Content-Type-Options is properly configured - **[PASS]** X-Frame-Options is properly configured - **[PASS]** Referrer-Policy is properly configured - **[PASS]** Permissions-Policy is set - **[CRITICAL]** Content-Security-Policy header is missing — CSP is the most important header for preventing XSS attacks. See the CSP section for detailed analysis. - **[PASS]** Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy is properly configured - **[PASS]** Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy is set - **[PASS]** X-Powered-By header is not present - **[PASS]** Server header is present without version info ### Content Security Policy (F — 0/100) *No enforcing CSP policy found* - **[CRITICAL]** No Content-Security-Policy header found — CSP is the most effective defense against XSS attacks. Add a Content-Security-Policy header to restrict resource loading. ### TLS & Certificates (A+ — 100/100) *TLS 1.3, 7 checks passed* - **[PASS]** TLS 1.3 is used - **[PASS]** Strong cipher suite is used - **[INFO]** HTTP/2 is not negotiated — HTTP/2 provides multiplexing and header compression for better performance. - **[PASS]** Certificate is valid (expires in 53 days) - **[PASS]** Certificate chain has 3 certificates - **[PASS]** Certificate uses modern signature algorithm - **[PASS]** Certificate covers 3 domain(s) - **[PASS]** Certificate is issued by a trusted CA ### Cookie Security (A+ — 100/100) *1 cookies analyzed, 3 checks passed* - **[PASS]** Cookie '__cf_bm' has the Secure flag - **[PASS]** Cookie '__cf_bm' has the HttpOnly flag - **[PASS]** Cookie '__cf_bm' has SameSite=None --- ## Advanced Security ### Subresource Integrity (A+ — 100/100) *No external resources* - **[PASS]** No external resources to protect ### JS Library Vulnerabilities (A+ — 100/100) *No known vulnerabilities* - **[PASS]** No known JavaScript library vulnerabilities detected ### Information Leakage (A+ — 100/100) *No exposures* - **[INFO]** No security.txt found — Consider adding a security.txt at /.well-known/security.txt. - **[PASS]** No sensitive files exposed ### Email Security (F — 30/100) *No DMARC* - **[WARNING]** No DMARC record found — Without DMARC, email receivers have no policy for handling authentication failures. ### Permissions-Policy (A+ — 100/100) *17 directives, 0 missing* - **[PASS]** accelerometer=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** browsing-topics=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** camera=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** clipboard-read=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** clipboard-write=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** geolocation=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** gyroscope=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** hid=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** interest-cohort=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** magnetometer=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** microphone=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** payment=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** publickey-credentials-get=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** screen-wake-lock=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** serial=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** sync-xhr=() — blocked for all origins - **[PASS]** usb=() — blocked for all origins ### CORS Configuration (B — 80/100) *No CORS headers* - **[PASS]** No CORS headers present — secure default --- ## Performance ### Page Weight Budget (B — 83/100) *1.1 MB transferred, 28 requests* - **[PASS]** Page weighs 1.8 MB (1.1 MB transferred) - **[PASS]** 28 HTTP requests - **[INFO]** Estimated 0.22 g CO2 per page load ### Third-Party Impact (B — 70/100) *45% third-party, 0 ms blocking* - **[INFO]** Third-party code accounts for 45% of page weight (494.5 KiB of 1.1 MiB) - **[PASS]** Third-party blocking time is low (0 ms) ### Text Compression (A+ — 100/100) *All text resources are compressed* - **[PASS]** All text resources are compressed ### Image Optimization (B — 80/100) *6 images, 0 KB saveable* - **[PASS]** All images are well-optimized ### JS Execution Cost (C — 60/100) *1892ms total JS execution* - **[WARNING]** https://www.sciencedirect.com/cdn-cgi/challenge-pl...: 1167ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** Unattributable: 418ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** https://www.sciencedirect.com/: 307ms CPU time - **[INFO]** Third-party scripts: 418ms (22% of total) ### Font Loading (A+ — 100/100) *2 fonts (68 KB)* - **[INFO]** 2 font(s) use font-display: swap (FOUT risk but functional) ### JS Bundles (A+ — 100/100) *11 scripts, 0 KB unused* ### Resource Caching (A+ — 100/100) *All resources properly cached* - **[PASS]** No caching issues found ### Critical Rendering Path (A+ — 100/100) *No render-blocking resources* - **[PASS]** No render-blocking resources detected ### Resource Hints (A+ — 100/100) *1 hints, 0 missing preconnects* - **[PASS]** Page uses 1 resource hint(s) ### Render-Blocking Resources (A+ — 100/100) *No render-blocking resources detected* - **[PASS]** No render-blocking resources detected in ### Third-Party Resources (A+ — 100/100) *No third-party resources detected* --- ## Content Quality ### Links (A — 90/100) *10 links checked, 8 healthy, 2 broken* - **[WARNING]** 8 of 10 links are healthy - **[CRITICAL]** Broken link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/ — Found in . Returns HTTP 403. - **[CRITICAL]** Broken link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/user/institution/login?targ... — Found in . Returns HTTP 403. ### Mixed Content (A+ — 100/100) *No mixed content detected — all resources use HTTPS.* - **[PASS]** No mixed content detected — all resources use HTTPS ### Open Graph (F — 0/100) *No Open Graph tags found — social sharing previews will be generic.* - **[WARNING]** No Open Graph meta tags found — Without og:title, og:description, and og:image, social media platforms will generate a generic preview when your page is shared. ### Structured Data (C — 40/100) *No structured data (JSON-LD) found.* - **[INFO]** No structured data (JSON-LD) found — Adding structured data helps search engines understand your content and can enable rich results. --- ## Infrastructure ### DNS Records (A — 90/100) *4 A records, 31 ms lookup* - **[PASS]** Resolves to 4 IPv4 address(es) - **[INFO]** No IPv6 (AAAA) records - **[INFO]** No NS records found - **[INFO]** No MX records — email not configured via DNS - **[INFO]** CAA records not checked — CAA record lookup requires a specialized DNS resolver. This check will be available in a future update. - **[INFO]** No SPF record found in TXT records — SPF helps prevent email spoofing. Add a TXT record starting with 'v=spf1'. - **[PASS]** DNS resolution time: 31 ms ### Redirect Chain (A+ — 100/100) *0 redirect(s), 167 ms total* ### IPv6 Readiness (C — 60/100) *No IPv6 support* - **[INFO]** No IPv6 (AAAA) records found — IPv6 support is increasingly important for global accessibility. About 40% of internet users have IPv6 connectivity. ### Crawlability (B — 75/100) *no robots.txt, no sitemap* - **[INFO]** No robots.txt found — robots.txt is optional but recommended. It tells search engine crawlers which pages to index. - **[INFO]** No sitemap.xml found — A sitemap helps search engines discover and index your pages more efficiently. ### URL Variants (A+ — 100/100) *www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS* - **[PASS]** www/non-www redirect configured correctly (preferred: www) - **[PASS]** HTTP correctly 301-redirects to HTTPS ### Domain Intelligence (A+ — 100/100) *sciencedirect.com — via SafeNames Ltd., 29 years, 5 months old, hosted on Cloudflare* - **[PASS]** Domain registered until Mar 13, 2031 (5 years remaining) - **[INFO]** DNSSEC is not enabled — DNSSEC protects against DNS spoofing attacks. While not required, enabling DNSSEC adds an additional layer of security. Contact your DNS provider to enable it. - **[PASS]** Registrar: SafeNames Ltd. - **[PASS]** Hosting: Cloudflare --- ## Compliance ### WCAG Compliance (A+ — 100/100) *No testable criteria* ### Cookie Consent & Privacy (A+ — 100/100) *privacy policy found* - **[PASS]** Privacy policy link found - **[PASS]** Terms of service link found - **[INFO]** No cookie consent banner detected - **[PASS]** 1 cookie(s) set on initial load (functional) - **[INFO]** This is an automated check, not legal advice — BeaverCheck detects technical indicators of consent management. This does not constitute a legal compliance assessment. Consult a privacy professional for GDPR/CCPA compliance. ### Language & i18n (A — 90/100) *Lang attribute present* - **[PASS]** attribute is present - **[PASS]** value is valid - **[INFO]** No Content-Language HTTP header - **[INFO]** Language signals are inconsistent — The attribute and Content-Language header should agree. ### Readability & Typography (A+ — 100/100) *Font sizes and tap targets checked* ### Viewport Configuration (A+ — 100/100) *Viewport properly configured* - **[PASS]** Viewport meta tag is present - **[PASS]** width=device-width is set - **[PASS]** User zooming is allowed ### Third-Party Trackers (A+ — 100/100) *No third-party trackers detected* - **[PASS]** No third-party trackers detected --- ## Legal ### Legal Page Ecosystem (C — 60/100) *2 of 7 expected legal pages detected* - **[PASS]** Privacy Policy detected — Found at https://www.elsevier.com/legal/privacy-policy, linked from footer. - **[PASS]** Terms of Service detected — Found at https://www.elsevier.com/legal/elsevier-website-terms-and-conditions, linked from footer. - **[INFO]** Cookie Policy not detected — No link matching common Cookie Policy URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Cookie Policy, especially those collecting user data. - **[INFO]** Accessibility Statement not detected — No link matching common Accessibility Statement URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Accessibility Statement, especially those collecting user data. - **[INFO]** DMCA / Copyright Notice not detected — No link matching common DMCA / Copyright Notice URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a DMCA / Copyright Notice, especially those collecting user data. - **[INFO]** Refund / Returns Policy not detected — No link matching common Refund / Returns Policy URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Refund / Returns Policy, especially those collecting user data. - **[INFO]** Acceptable Use Policy not detected — No link matching common Acceptable Use Policy URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Acceptable Use Policy, especially those collecting user data. ### Copyright Notice (A+ — 100/100) *© 2026 Elsevier B* - **[PASS]** Copyright notice is up to date — Copyright notice is up to date: © 2026 Elsevier B - **[PASS]** Copyright holder: Elsevier B ### Regulatory Indicators *1 regulatory indicator(s) detected* - **[INFO]** This is a technical scan, not a legal assessment — BeaverCheck detects technical indicators that may suggest regulatory relevance. This is not a compliance audit and should not be relied upon for legal decisions. Consult qualified legal counsel for compliance assessments. - **[INFO]** GDPR indicators detected (moderate confidence) — Indicators suggesting GDPR may be relevant: Privacy policy page found. EU General Data Protection Regulation — governs collection and processing of personal data of EU residents. ### Third-Party Data Sharing *1 third-party service(s) detected* - **[INFO]** Data inventory for transparency purposes — This inventory identifies third-party services that receive data from your site visitors. Under regulations like GDPR (Article 30), maintaining records of data processing activities is commonly considered a best practice. This automated scan provides a starting point — it may not capture all data flows. - **[INFO]** 1 third-party services across 1 categories — 1 third-party services detected across 1 categories: CDN (1). Each of these services receives some user data from your site visitors. - **[INFO]** Cloudflare (CDN) — Detected via cookie name. Typically collects: IP address (transient), Request metadata. Privacy policy: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/. Data Processing Agreement available. ### Compliance Badges (C — 55/100) *0 compliance badge(s) detected* - **[INFO]** No compliance badges detected — No recognized compliance certification badges or seals were found. This is common — many sites do not display compliance badges. --- ## Availability ### CDN & Delivery (B — 80/100) *Cloudflare* - **[PASS]** Site is served via Cloudflare CDN (edge: MAD) ### HTTP Caching (D — 40/100) *no-store (uncacheable)* - **[INFO]** Cache-Control: no-store prevents all caching — Intentional for dynamic content, but increases server load for every page view. - **[INFO]** No ETag or Last-Modified header — Conditional requests (304 Not Modified) are not possible without validators. ### Transport Security (B — 75/100) *HTTP/3, HSTS, and TLS version analysis* - **[INFO]** HTTP/3 (QUIC) not advertised — HTTP/3 eliminates head-of-line blocking. If your CDN supports it, consider enabling it. - **[WARNING]** HSTS max-age is short: 31 days — HSTS max-age should be at least 1 year (31536000 seconds). - **[INFO]** HSTS missing includeSubDomains — Without includeSubDomains, HSTS only protects the exact domain. - **[PASS]** HSTS preload enabled - **[PASS]** TLS 1.3 in use (fastest handshake, 1-RTT) --- ## Accessibility ### Landmark Structure (A — 85/100) *4 landmarks* - **[PASS]**
landmark present - **[PASS]** 1