Is ssa.gov legit?

45
/ 100
Use Caution
Industry: Government

While ssa.gov is a well-known and long-established domain, its current inaccessibility due to an invalid SSL certificate raises severe security concerns. Until these technical issues are resolved, using the website poses a risk.

Government average: 80/100 · based on 33 sites

Checked: April 18, 2026 at 8:25 AM UTC · Refresh

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

Security 30/100

Despite having strong email authentication and no Google Web Risk flags, the fundamental problem of an unreachable site due to an invalid SSL certificate is a critical security vulnerability that makes any interaction unsafe.

Identity 85/100

This is an extremely mature domain, nearly three decades old, registered through a government registrar, which strongly indicates a legitimate and established entity behind it. The WHOIS data confirms its government affiliation, even with redacted privacy details.

Reputation 80/100

As a highly-ranked and well-known government domain, its reputation is inherently strong, bolstered by its cleanliness on DNS blacklists. The lack of a Trustpilot profile is entirely expected for a government site, not a flaw.

Transparency 75/100

Government websites, especially those providing public services, are generally expected to be transparent. While specific contact and 'about' page information isn't provided here, the domain itself signifies a clear organizational identity.

Compliance 70/100

For a government entity, general compliance with legal and accessibility standards is usually a given, though specifics like privacy policies or terms of service aren't detailed in these signals. The 'robots.txt' and 'sitemap' omissions are common for many sites and don't inherently signal non-compliance.

Infrastructure 40/100

Despite having robust DNSSEC, multiple IP resolutions, and strong email infrastructure (SPF/DMARC), the paramount issue of the site being completely unreachable points to a significant infrastructure breakdown that needs immediate attention.

Signals Detected

[-]
Website: Unreachable

Could not load website: Get "https://ssa.gov/": tls: failed to verify certificate: x509: certificate signed by unknown authority

[+]
Tranco Rank: Rank #2509

This is a well-known, high-traffic website

[?]
Trustpilot: No Trustpilot profile

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

[?]
Certificate Transparency: Unable to check

crt.sh returned status 429

[+]
DNS Blacklists: Clean

Not found on any DNS blacklists

[~]
Branding: Missing

No favicon found — unusual for an established business

[~]
Site Reachable: Unreachable

Could not reach site: Head "https://ssa.gov": tls: failed to verify certificate: x509: certificate signed by unknown authority

[+]
Google Web Risk: Clean

No threats detected by Google Web Risk

[+]
Domain Age: 28 years, 11 months

Domain created 1997-10-02T01:29:30Z (28 years, 11 months ago)

[?]
Registrar: get.gov

Registered through get.gov

[~]
Domain Expiry: 2026-07-14T12:25:51Z

Expires in 87 days

[+]
DNSSEC: signedDelegation

DNSSEC status from WHOIS

[?]
robots.txt: Not found

No robots.txt file — common for small sites

[-]
SSL Certificate: Invalid

SSL certificate is invalid: tls: failed to verify certificate: x509: certificate signed by unknown authority

[~]
Certificate Issuer: DigiCert Inc

Issued by DigiCert Inc (but certificate is invalid)

[?]
Sitemap: Not found

No sitemap found — common for smaller sites

[+]
DNS Resolution: 4 IP(s)

Resolves to: 2001:1930:e03::16, 2001:1930:d07::37, 137.200.39.62, 137.200.4.21

[+]
Email (MX Records): 8 record(s)

Mail servers: mailin1.ssa.gov., mailin4.ssa.gov., mailin2b-nsc.ssa.gov., mailin1b-ssc.ssa.gov., mailin2.ssa.gov., mailin2b-ssc.ssa.gov., mailin1b-nsc.ssa.gov., mailin3.ssa.gov.

[+]
SPF Record: Present

Domain has SPF email authentication configured

[+]
DMARC Record: Present

Domain has DMARC email authentication configured

[?]
Name Servers: 4 server(s)

DNS providers: dns1.ssa.gov., dns6.ssa.gov., dns5.ssa.gov., dns2.ssa.gov.

[?]
Web Archive: Unable to check

Could not query Wayback Machine

Embed This Badge

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Trust badge for ssa.gov
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[![ssa.gov trust score](https://verified.fyi/badge/ssa.gov?size=medium&style=full&theme=dark)](https://verified.fyi/review/ssa.gov)

Stay Safe Online

Good habits to protect yourself, no matter the scan result.

Use a password manager

Never reuse passwords across sites.

Enable two-factor authentication

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Always verify unfamiliar stores before entering payment info.

When evaluating a government website like ssa.gov, the expectation is typically one of unwavering reliability and security. Users rely on these platforms for critical services and information, making any technical lapse a serious concern. While ssa.gov has an impressive track record, evidenced by its nearly 29-year domain age and top-tier traffic ranking, current signals paint a troubling picture. Government sites are expected to maintain the highest standards of security. The fact that ssa.gov is currently unreachable due to an invalid SSL certificate is a significant red flag. An SSL certificate is foundational for secure communication, encrypting data between your browser and the website. Without a valid certificate, your connection isn't secure, making it impossible (or extremely risky if overridden) to access the site safely. For a government entity responsible for sensitive personal data, this is an critical failure that users should not ignore. While its email infrastructure appears solid with SPF and DMARC, and it clears Google Web Risk, the core website access issue is paramount. Before attempting to transact or share any personal information, it's crucial that ssa.gov resolves these fundamental technical problems. A legitimate government website should always present a fully functional and securely encrypted connection. Always verify the padlock icon in your browser's address bar to confirm a secure connection before proceeding on any site, especially one handling personal data.