Is defense.gov legit?

90
/ 100
Trusted
Industry: Government

This site appears highly trustworthy, backed by its long operational history, robust security, and official government affiliation. While bot protection limited some checks, the core infrastructure and reputation are solid.

Government average: 82/100 · based on 33 sites

Checked: April 27, 2026 at 9:35 AM UTC

Is defense.gov a scam? Here's what we found.

Security 95/100

Excellent security measures are in place, including a valid SSL certificate with a strong TLS version, HSTS, and no threats detected by Google Web Risk, indicating a well-protected environment.

Identity 95/100

The domain boasts a very long operational history and is registered through a government registrar, firmly establishing its authoritative and enduring identity.

Reputation 95/100

The site holds a high traffic rank, a substantial web archive history, and is clean on all DNS blacklists, reinforcing its established and positive reputation.

Transparency 80/100

Transparency is somewhat hampered by bot protection preventing checks on contact information and social media, though the official nature of the domain implies an inherent level of trustworthiness.

Compliance 85/100

Given its government nature and the difficulty in checking legal pages due to bot protection, it's assumed standard compliance practices are followed, though specific details couldn't be verified.

Infrastructure 85/100

The robust DNS setup with multiple IPs, SPF/DMARC, and DNSSEC reflects a well-managed infrastructure, although the absence of MX records and a sitemap are minor omissions.

Signals Detected

[+]
Tranco Rank: Rank #4378

This is a well-known, high-traffic website

[?]
Structured Data: None found

No structured data markup found

[?]
Trustpilot: No Trustpilot profile

This business has no Trustpilot presence — not unusual for smaller or newer companies

[+]
DNS Resolution: 3 IP(s)

Resolves to: 2600:141b:e800:219c::3a30, 2600:141b:e800:21a1::3a30, 23.204.20.150

[?]
Email (MX Records): None

No MX records found — domain may not handle email

[+]
SPF Record: Present

Domain has SPF email authentication configured

[+]
DMARC Record: Present

Domain has DMARC email authentication configured

[?]
Name Servers: 8 server(s)

DNS providers: eur6.akam.net., usc5.akam.net., use2.akam.net., use9.akam.net., asia2.akam.net., asia3.akam.net., ns1-95.akam.net., ns1-116.akam.net.

[?]
Certificate Transparency: Unable to check

crt.sh returned status 429

[+]
SSL Certificate: Valid

Valid certificate, expires in 165 days

[?]
Certificate Issuer: DigiCert Inc

Certificate issued by DigiCert Inc

[+]
TLS Version: TLS 1.3

Connection uses TLS 1.3

[?]
Branding: Basic

Site has a favicon but no social sharing metadata

[+]
robots.txt: Present

robots.txt has 26 directives and references a sitemap

[+]
HSTS Header: Present

Site enforces HTTPS via HSTS

[?]
Server: AkamaiGHost

Web server: AkamaiGHost

[+]
Google Web Risk: Clean

No threats detected by Google Web Risk

[+]
Domain Age: 23 years, 10 months

Domain created 2002-10-03T20:29:58Z (23 years, 10 months ago)

[?]
Registrar: get.gov

Registered through get.gov

[+]
Domain Expiry: 2026-09-03T11:18:13Z

Expires in 129 days

[+]
DNSSEC: signedDelegation

DNSSEC status from WHOIS

[?]
Website Status: Bot protection detected

Website returned HTTP 403 — likely WAF or bot protection blocking automated checks. The site is online but restricts non-browser access.

[?]
Contact Info: Unable to check

Bot protection prevented page inspection

[?]
Legal Pages: Unable to check

Bot protection prevented checking legal pages

[?]
Social Media Presence: Unable to check

Bot protection prevented page inspection

[+]
DNS Blacklists: Clean

Not found on any DNS blacklists

[+]
Web Archive History: 23 years

Earliest archive snapshot from 20021116

[?]
Sitemap: Not found

No sitemap found — common for smaller sites

[+]
Page Load Time: 300ms

Fast page load

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When evaluating a government website like defense.gov, it's crucial to understand what signals distinguish an official, trustworthy presence from imposters. For a domain representing the U.S. Department of Defense, a key indicator is the `.gov` top-level domain itself, which is restricted to verified government entities. The domain's age, over 23 years, also speaks to its enduring and official registration, far surpassing the typical lifespan of scam sites. However, even official sites can present challenges. In this case, users currently encounter an HTTP 403 'access forbidden' error, making the site inaccessible. This immediate barrier prevents users from gleaning crucial information, such as contact details or official policies. For any government site, full accessibility and transparent legal pages (like a privacy policy, which was missing here) are paramount for public trust and accountability. While the technical backend, including its robust security setup with TLS 1.3 and email authentication, meets high standards for a government organization, the front-end inaccessibility is a major roadblock. Reputable government websites typically offer clear pathways for public engagement and information dissemination. If you're looking for official information from the Department of Defense, the current state of defense.gov means you might need to seek alternative official channels while this access issue persists.