# BeaverCheck Audit Report — https://service.gov.uk **Date:** April 16, 2026 **URL:** https://service.gov.uk **Overall Grade:** B (82/100) **Report:** https://beavercheck.com/results/f959c658-9cc4-450a-9447-64675d67a49f ## 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]** Soft 404: server returns HTTP 200 for non-existent pages — Accessibility > 404 Error Page 4. **[WARNING]** 14 third-party resources (100% of weight) — Performance > Page Weight Inventory 5. **[WARNING]** Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy header is missing — Security > Security Headers --- ## Lighthouse Scores | Category | Score | |----------|-------| | Performance | 93 | | Accessibility | 100 | | Best Practices | 100 | | SEO | 100 | --- ## Security ### Security Headers (F — 30/100) *3 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. - **[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 256 days) - **[PASS]** Certificate chain has 2 certificates - **[PASS]** Certificate uses modern signature algorithm - **[PASS]** Certificate covers 13 domain(s) - **[PASS]** Certificate is issued by a trusted CA ### Cookie Security (A+ — 100/100) *No cookies set — no cookie security risks* - **[PASS]** No cookies set — no cookie security risks --- ## 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* - **[PASS]** security.txt is present — good practice - **[PASS]** No sensitive files exposed ### Email Security (A+ — 100/100) *DMARC: reject* - **[PASS]** DMARC policy is reject — strongest protection ### 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 (A+ — 100/100) *188 KB transferred, 15 requests* - **[PASS]** Page weighs 746 KB (188 KB transferred) - **[PASS]** 15 HTTP requests - **[INFO]** Estimated 0.04 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 (188.2 KiB of 188.4 KiB) - **[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 (A — 85/100) *3 images, 0 KB saveable* - **[PASS]** All images are well-optimized ### JS Execution Cost (A+ — 100/100) *487ms total JS execution* - **[INFO]** https://www.gov.uk/: 193ms CPU time - **[INFO]** Unattributable: 153ms CPU time - **[INFO]** https://www.gov.uk/assets/frontend/application-527...: 141ms CPU time - **[WARNING]** Third-party scripts: 487ms (100% of total) ### Font Loading (A+ — 100/100) *2 fonts (64 KB)* - **[INFO]** 2 font(s) use font-display: swap (FOUT risk but functional) ### JS Bundles (A+ — 100/100) *5 scripts, 26 KB unused* - **[WARNING]** https://www.gov.uk/assets/frontend/application-527...: 26 KB unused (63%) — Consider code splitting or tree shaking to reduce unused code. - **[INFO]** Total unused JavaScript: 26 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 (A — 85/100) *15 resources · 188 KB · 26 KB savings available* - **[PASS]** Within 1MB page-weight target - **[WARNING]** 14 third-party resources (100% of weight) ### 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+ — 100/100) *75 links checked, 75 healthy, 0 broken* - **[PASS]** 75 of 75 links are healthy ### 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 — 80/100) *Open Graph tags are partially configured — some improvements recommended.* - **[INFO]** og:title is short (17 characters) — Ideal length is 25–60 characters for social sharing previews. - **[INFO]** Missing og:url — The og:url tag specifies the canonical URL for the shared content. - **[INFO]** Missing og:type — The og:type tag helps social platforms categorize the content. - **[INFO]** Missing og:site_name — The og:site_name tag displays the website name in social previews. - **[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+ — 100/100) *4 A records, 27 ms lookup* - **[PASS]** Resolves to 4 IPv4 address(es) - **[INFO]** No IPv6 (AAAA) records - **[PASS]** 8 nameserver(s) configured - **[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. - **[PASS]** SPF record present in TXT - **[PASS]** DNS resolution time: 27 ms ### Redirect Chain (A — 90/100) *1 redirect(s), 29 ms total* - **[PASS]** Single redirect - **[INFO]** WWW normalization redirect - **[INFO]** Uses 302 (temporary) redirect — If permanent, use 301 instead. - **[INFO]** Cross-domain redirect detected ### 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 (C — 65/100) *robots.txt present, sitemap with 0 URLs* - **[PASS]** robots.txt is present - **[PASS]** sitemap.xml is present - **[WARNING]** sitemap.xml contains invalid XML — Search engines may not be able to parse the sitemap. Fix XML validation errors. - **[WARNING]** sitemap.xml is empty — no URLs found — An empty sitemap provides no value. Add entries for your pages. - **[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+ — 100/100) *www/non-www, trailing slash, HTTP→HTTPS* - **[PASS]** HTTP correctly 301-redirects to HTTPS ### Domain Intelligence (A+ — 100/100) *service.gov.uk — via Jisc Services Limited, 13 years, 3 months old, hosted on Fastly* - **[PASS]** Domain registered until Mar 7, 2028 (1 years, 11 months 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: Jisc Services Limited - **[WARNING]** Registrar lock is NOT enabled — The domain can be transferred without an unlock step. Enable registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) in your registrar's control panel to protect against unauthorized or accidental transfers. - **[PASS]** Hosting: Fastly --- ## Compliance ### WCAG Compliance (A+ — 100/100) *No testable criteria* ### Cookie Consent & Privacy (B — 80/100) *No consent signals detected* - **[WARNING]** No privacy policy link detected — A privacy policy page is recommended for transparency and may be legally required. - **[INFO]** No terms of service link detected - **[INFO]** No cookie consent banner detected - **[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 (A — 85/100) *4 of 7 expected legal pages detected* - **[PASS]** Privacy Policy detected — Found at /help/privacy-notice, linked from footer. - **[PASS]** Terms of Service detected — Found at /help/terms-conditions, linked from footer. - **[PASS]** Cookie Policy detected — Found at /help/cookies, linked from footer. - **[PASS]** Accessibility Statement detected — Found at /help/accessibility-statement, linked from footer. - **[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 (C — 55/100) *No copyright notice detected* - **[INFO]** No copyright notice detected — No copyright notice detected in the page content. While not legally required in most jurisdictions (copyright exists automatically), a notice is standard practice and signals site ownership. ### Regulatory Indicators *2 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. - **[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 *0 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]** No recognized third-party data-sharing services detected — This page does not appear to load external tracking, analytics, or advertising scripts. ### 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) *Varnish* - **[PASS]** Site is served via Varnish CDN ### 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 - **[PASS]** TLS 1.3 in use (fastest handshake, 1-RTT) --- ## Accessibility ### Landmark Structure (A+ — 100/100) *7 landmarks* - **[PASS]**
landmark present - **[PASS]** 1