# BeaverCheck Audit Report — https://niu.edu **Date:** April 22, 2026 **URL:** https://niu.edu **Overall Grade:** C (72/100) **Report:** https://beavercheck.com/results/c67886eb-65c1-44b3-bdc5-3ac17b9e0314 ## 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. **[CRITICAL]** Page weighs 10.5 MB (6.9 MB transferred) — Performance > Page Weight Budget 4. **[CRITICAL]** 2 link(s) with no accessible text — Accessibility > Link & Button Quality 5. **[WARNING]** 116 third-party resources (100% of weight) — Performance > Page Weight Inventory --- ## Lighthouse Scores | Category | Score | |----------|-------| | Performance | 29 | | Accessibility | 100 | | Best Practices | 81 | | SEO | 100 | --- ## Security ### Security Headers (F — 20/100) *1 of 10 headers properly configured* - **[PASS]** Strict-Transport-Security is properly configured - **[WARNING]** X-Content-Type-Options header is missing — This header prevents MIME-type sniffing, which can lead to XSS attacks. Set it to 'nosniff'. - **[WARNING]** X-Frame-Options header is missing — This header prevents clickjacking by controlling who can embed your page in a frame. Set it to DENY or SAMEORIGIN. - **[WARNING]** Referrer-Policy header is missing — Controls how much referrer information is sent with requests. Set to 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin' or stricter. - **[WARNING]** Permissions-Policy header is missing — Controls which browser features (camera, microphone, geolocation) are allowed. Set it to restrict unused features. - **[CRITICAL]** Content-Security-Policy header is missing — CSP is the most important header for preventing XSS attacks. See the CSP section for detailed analysis. - **[WARNING]** Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy header is missing — COOP isolates your browsing context, preventing cross-origin side-channel attacks. Set to 'same-origin'. - **[WARNING]** Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy header is missing — COEP prevents loading cross-origin resources without explicit permission. Required for SharedArrayBuffer and high-resolution timers. - **[WARNING]** X-Powered-By header reveals technology stack — This header discloses server technology (e.g. Express, PHP), helping attackers target known vulnerabilities. Remove it. - **[WARNING]** Server header reveals version information — The Server header discloses the software version, aiding attackers in targeting known vulnerabilities. Remove the version number. ### 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. - **[INFO]** Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only is set but does not enforce — Report-Only logs violations but does not block them. Deploy an enforcing policy when ready. ### TLS & Certificates (A+ — 100/100) *TLS 1.2, 7 checks passed* - **[PASS]** TLS 1.2 is used - **[INFO]** TLS 1.3 is not negotiated — TLS 1.3 offers improved performance and security. Consider enabling it. - **[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 198 days) - **[PASS]** Certificate chain has 2 certificates - **[PASS]** Certificate uses modern signature algorithm - **[PASS]** Certificate covers 9 domain(s) - **[PASS]** Certificate is issued by a trusted CA ### Cookie Security (A+ — 95/100) *1 cookies analyzed, 2 checks passed* - **[PASS]** Cookie 'WebMain_Netscaler' has the Secure flag - **[PASS]** Cookie 'WebMain_Netscaler' has the HttpOnly flag - **[WARNING]** Cookie 'WebMain_Netscaler' has no SameSite attribute — Without an explicit SameSite attribute, browser default behavior varies. Set SameSite=Lax or Strict. --- ## Advanced Security ### Subresource Integrity (D — 40/100) *1 of 29 external resources have SRI* - **[PASS]** link from stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com has SRI protection - **[WARNING]** External script from tr.snapchat.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from scripts.clarity.ms lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from tags.srv.stackadapt.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from pixel.byspotify.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from sc-static.net lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.clarity.ms lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from connect.facebook.net lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from connect.facebook.net lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from connect.facebook.net lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from snap.licdn.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.googletagmanager.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from kit.fontawesome.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.niu.edu lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.niu.edu lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from www.niu.edu lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from mx.technolutions.net lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External link from tags.srv.stackadapt.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from calendar.niu.edu lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from calendar.niu.edu lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from code.jquery.com lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. - **[WARNING]** External script from enroll.niu.edu lacks integrity attribute — Without SRI, if this CDN is compromised, attackers could inject malicious code. ### 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 (D — 50/100) *DMARC: none* - **[WARNING]** DMARC policy is none — monitoring only — This only monitors, it doesn't block spoofed emails. Change to p=quarantine or p=reject. ### Permissions-Policy (D — 40/100) *No header set* - **[WARNING]** No Permissions-Policy header — Consider adding a Permissions-Policy header to restrict browser feature access from embedded content. ### CORS Configuration (B — 80/100) *No CORS headers* - **[PASS]** No CORS headers present — secure default --- ## Performance ### Page Weight Budget (F — 0/100) *6.9 MB transferred, 123 requests* - **[CRITICAL]** Page weighs 10.5 MB (6.9 MB transferred) - **[WARNING]** Images are 5.0 MB — compress or use modern formats — Convert images to WebP/AVIF and resize to display dimensions to reduce transfer size. - **[WARNING]** JavaScript is 1.5 MB — consider code splitting or lazy loading — Large JavaScript bundles delay interactivity. Split code by route or defer non-critical scripts. - **[INFO]** Fonts are 246 KB — consider subsetting or using system fonts — Subset fonts to include only used characters, or switch to system font stacks. - **[WARNING]** 123 HTTP requests — consider bundling or reducing — Each request adds latency. Bundle small files, use sprites, or eliminate unnecessary requests. - **[INFO]** Estimated 1.4 g CO2 per page load ### Third-Party Impact (D — 50/100) *100% third-party, 0 ms blocking* - **[WARNING]** Third-party code accounts for 100% of page weight (6.8 MiB of 6.9 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 (C — 60/100) *33 images, 0 KB saveable* - **[WARNING]** https://eadn-wc04-5544473.nxedge.io/wp-content/upl... is missing width/height — may cause layout shift — Set explicit width and height to prevent CLS. - **[WARNING]** https://eadn-wc02-5527861.nxedge.io/wp-content/upl... is missing width/height — may cause layout shift — Set explicit width and height to prevent CLS. - **[WARNING]** https://www.niu.edu/masterto/themes/Theme_4_0/comm... is missing width/height — may cause layout shift — Set explicit width and height to prevent CLS. - **[WARNING]** https://eadn-wc04-5544473.nxedge.io/wp-content/upl... is missing width/height — may cause layout shift — Set explicit width and height to prevent CLS. - **[WARNING]** https://www.niu.edu/images/randomizer/drone-altgel... is missing width/height — may cause layout shift — Set explicit width and height to prevent CLS. - **[WARNING]** https://niu.edu/masterto/themes/Theme_4_0/common/i... is missing width/height — may cause layout shift — Set explicit width and height to prevent CLS. - **[WARNING]** https://eadn-wc04-5544473.nxedge.io/wp-content/upl... is missing width/height — may cause layout shift — Set explicit width and height to prevent CLS. ### JS Execution Cost (F — 20/100) *7977ms total JS execution* - **[WARNING]** Unattributable: 1387ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** https://www.niu.edu/index.shtml: 1242ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-TJS...: 913ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-MW2F...: 579ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-178...: 359ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** Third-party scripts: 7977ms (100% of total) ### Font Loading (A+ — 100/100) *10 fonts (246 KB)* - **[INFO]** 10 font(s) use font-display: swap (FOUT risk but functional) ### JS Bundles (F — 20/100) *32 scripts, 533 KB unused* - **[WARNING]** https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-MW2F...: 66 KB unused (37%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[WARNING]** https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-TJS...: 64 KB unused (41%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[WARNING]** https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-582...: 63 KB unused (43%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[WARNING]** https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-178...: 62 KB unused (43%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[WARNING]** https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=DC-105...: 61 KB unused (47%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[INFO]** Total unused JavaScript: 533 KB ### 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) *No optimization needed* - **[PASS]** No resource hint issues ### Page Weight Inventory (F — 35/100) *123 resources · 6.9 MB · 533 KB savings available* - **[WARNING]** Page weight 5.9 MB over 1MB target - **[INFO]** ~533 KB of savings available - **[WARNING]** 116 third-party resources (100% of weight) - **[INFO]** 9 resources over 200KB ### 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 (C — 75/100) *152 links checked, 147 healthy, 5 broken* - **[CRITICAL]** 147 of 152 links are healthy - **[CRITICAL]** Broken link: https://anywhereapps.niu.edu — Found in . Get "https://anywhereapps.niu.edu": context deadline exceeded - **[CRITICAL]** Broken link: https://anywhereapps.niu.edu/ — Found in . Get "https://anywhereapps.niu.edu/": context deadline exceeded - **[CRITICAL]** Broken link: https://calendar.niu.edu/event/legacies-on-display-the-fo... — Found in . Get "https://calendar.niu.edu/event/legacies-on-display-the-forbidden-and-venerated-arts-of-burma?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=NIU+Events+Calendar": context deadline exceeded - **[CRITICAL]** Broken link: https://www.linkedin.com/school/northern-illinois-univers... — Found in . Returns HTTP 999. - **[WARNING]** Broken link: https://www.niu.edu/_internal/171024-out-of-state-tuition... — Found in . Returns HTTP 404. ### Mixed Content (A+ — 100/100) *No mixed content detected — all resources use HTTPS.* - **[PASS]** No mixed content detected — all resources use HTTPS ### Open Graph (B — 85/100) *Open Graph tags are partially configured — some improvements recommended.* - **[CRITICAL]** og:image is not reachable — The og:image URL could not be fetched. Social platforms won't be able to display it. - **[INFO]** Missing twitter:card — Without twitter:card, Twitter falls back to Open Graph tags. Adding it gives you more control. ### 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+ — 95/100) *1 A records, 99 ms lookup* - **[PASS]** Resolves to 1 IPv4 address(es) - **[INFO]** Single A record — no DNS redundancy — Multiple A records provide failover if one server goes down. - **[INFO]** No IPv6 (AAAA) records - **[PASS]** 2 nameserver(s) configured - **[PASS]** 1 mail exchanger(s) configured - **[INFO]** CAA records not checked — CAA record lookup requires a specialized DNS resolver. This check will be available in a future update. - **[PASS]** SPF record present in TXT - **[PASS]** DNS resolution time: 99 ms ### Redirect Chain (D — 50/100) *2 redirect(s), 1538 ms total* - **[WARNING]** 2 redirects before reaching final URL — Each redirect adds latency. Try to minimize the chain to 1 hop. - **[INFO]** WWW normalization redirect - **[INFO]** Uses 302 (temporary) redirect — If permanent, use 301 instead. - **[WARNING]** Redirect overhead: 1538 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 (A+ — 95/100) *robots.txt present, sitemap with 615 URLs* - **[PASS]** robots.txt is present - **[PASS]** sitemap.xml is present - **[PASS]** sitemap.xml is valid XML - **[PASS]** sitemap.xml contains 615 entries - **[INFO]** robots.txt does not reference a sitemap — Add a 'Sitemap:' directive to robots.txt so search engines can discover your sitemap. ### URL Variants (A — 90/100) *www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS* - **[PASS]** www/non-www redirect configured correctly (preferred: non-www) - **[WARNING]** HTTP→HTTPS redirect uses 302 instead of 301 ### Domain Intelligence (A+ — 100/100) *niu.edu — 37 years, 10 months old, hosted on NIU - Northern Illinois University, US* - **[PASS]** Domain registered until Jul 31, 2028 (2 years, 3 months remaining) - **[PASS]** Hosting: NIU - Northern Illinois University, US --- ## Compliance ### WCAG Compliance (A+ — 100/100) *No testable criteria* ### Cookie Consent & Privacy (A+ — 95/100) *privacy policy found* - **[PASS]** Privacy policy link found - **[INFO]** No terms of service link detected - **[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 (B — 70/100) *9 trackers detected* - **[INFO]** 9 third-party trackers detected — Found 7 analytics, 1 advertising, 0 marketing, 1 tag manager trackers. - **[WARNING]** 1 advertising/retargeting trackers detected — Advertising trackers collect user data for ad targeting. Under GDPR, these typically require explicit consent. - **[WARNING]** Session replay tool detected: Microsoft Clarity — Session replay tools record user interactions. These require clear disclosure and often explicit consent under GDPR. ### Cookie & Tracker Inventory (A+ — 100/100) *1 cookies · 9 trackers · 0 pre-consent* - **[INFO]** 1 cookie(s) could not be classified - **[INFO]** 9 third-party tracker(s) detected on page --- ## Legal ### Legal Page Ecosystem (F — 10/100) *1 of 7 expected legal pages detected* - **[WARNING]** Privacy Policy not detected — No link matching common Privacy Policy URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Privacy Policy, especially those collecting user data. - **[WARNING]** Terms of Service not detected — No link matching common Terms of Service URL patterns or link text was found. Most websites are expected to have a Terms of Service, especially those collecting user data. - **[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. - **[PASS]** Accessibility Statement detected — Found at https://www.niu.edu/accessibility/. - **[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 Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University* - **[PASS]** Copyright notice is up to date — Copyright notice is up to date: © 2026 Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University - **[PASS]** Copyright holder: Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University ### 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]** ADA indicators detected (moderate confidence) — Indicators suggesting ADA may be relevant: Accessibility statement page found. Americans with Disabilities Act / Section 508 — requires digital accessibility for people with disabilities. ### Third-Party Data Sharing *4 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]** 4 third-party services across 3 categories — 4 third-party services detected across 3 categories: Analytics (1), Tag Management (1), Advertising (2). Each of these services receives some user data from your site visitors. - **[INFO]** Google Analytics (Analytics) — Detected via script URL. Typically collects: Page views, User behavior, Demographics, Device info, IP address. Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Data Processing Agreement available. - **[INFO]** Google Tag Manager (Tag Management) — Detected via script URL. Typically collects: Orchestrates other tracking scripts, Page views. Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Data Processing Agreement available. - **[INFO]** Facebook Pixel (Advertising) — Detected via script URL. Typically collects: Page views, Conversions, User behavior, Ad targeting. Privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy. Data Processing Agreement available. - **[INFO]** LinkedIn Insight (Advertising) — Detected via script URL. Typically collects: Page views, Conversions, Ad targeting, Professional demographics. Privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy. Data Processing Agreement available. ### Compliance Badges (B — 70/100) *1 compliance badge(s) detected* - **[PASS]** TRUSTe / TrustArc badge detected — Found via body text: 'truste'. Note: the presence of a badge does not verify the certification is current or valid. --- ## Availability ### CDN & Delivery (D — 50/100) *No CDN detected* - **[WARNING]** No CDN detected — A CDN can significantly improve load times for users around the world by caching content at edge nodes closer to them. ### HTTP Caching (F — 30/100) *No cache headers* - **[WARNING]** No Cache-Control header found — Browsers will use heuristic caching, which can be unpredictable. Set explicit cache headers. ### Transport Security (A — 90/100) *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. - **[PASS]** HSTS enabled (includeSubDomains, preload) - **[PASS]** HSTS preload enabled --- ## Accessibility ### Landmark Structure (A — 85/100) *9 landmarks* - **[PASS]**
landmark present - **[PASS]** 2