SSL & Whois: Website Security Auditing
Comprehensive guide to SSL certificate validation, Whois domain analysis, and complete website security auditing for robust cybersecurity posture assessment
Modern Website Security Auditing Landscape
Website security auditing encompasses SSL certificate validation, domain analysis, security header assessment, and vulnerability scanning. Modern security auditing requires understanding certificate chains, domain ownership verification, attack surface analysis, and compliance validation for comprehensive security posture assessment.
Our advanced SSL Certificate Checker provides comprehensive certificate validation, while our Whois Domain Lookup delivers detailed domain intelligence and security assessment.
Comprehensive SSL Certificate Analysis
SSL certificate analysis involves examining certificate validity, encryption strength, issuer trust, Subject Alternative Names (SANs), and expiration monitoring. Modern certificate analysis must consider Extended Validation (EV), Organization Validation (OV), and Domain Validation (DV) certificates alongside Certificate Transparency logs.
Certificate Validation Process
Certificate Chain Verification:
// SSL Certificate validation
const tls = require('tls');
const crypto = require('crypto');
async function validateCertificate(hostname, port = 443) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
const socket = tls.connect(port, hostname, {
servername: hostname,
rejectUnauthorized: false
}, () => {
const certificate = socket.getPeerCertificate(true);
const chain = socket.getPeerCertificateChain();
const validation = {
valid: socket.authorized,
certificate: parseCertificate(certificate),
chain: chain.map(cert => parseCertificate(cert)),
protocols: socket.getProtocol(),
cipher: socket.getCipher(),
authorizationError: socket.authorizationError
};
socket.end();
resolve(validation);
});
socket.on('error', reject);
});
}
function parseCertificate(cert) {
return {
subject: cert.subject,
issuer: cert.issuer,
validFrom: new Date(cert.valid_from),
validTo: new Date(cert.valid_to),
daysUntilExpiry: Math.floor((new Date(cert.valid_to) - new Date()) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24)),
fingerprint: cert.fingerprint,
serialNumber: cert.serialNumber,
subjectAltNames: cert.subjectaltname?.split(', ') || []
};
}
Certificate Intelligence
Certificate Transparency Monitoring:
// Certificate Transparency log analysis
class CertificateTransparency {
constructor() {
this.ctLogs = [
'https://ct.googleapis.com/logs/argon2024/',
'https://ct.cloudflare.com/logs/nimbus2024/',
'https://ct.digicert.com/log/'
];
}
async searchCertificates(domain) {
const results = [];
for (const logUrl of this.ctLogs) {
try {
const response = await fetch(`${logUrl}ct/v1/get-entries?domain=${domain}`);
const data = await response.json();
results.push(...data.entries);
} catch (error) {
console.warn(`CT log query failed: ${logUrl}`);
}
}
return this.analyzeCTEntries(results);
}
analyzeCTEntries(entries) {
return entries.map(entry => ({
timestamp: new Date(entry.timestamp),
issuer: this.extractIssuer(entry.leaf_input),
domains: this.extractDomains(entry.leaf_input),
riskScore: this.calculateRiskScore(entry)
}));
}
calculateRiskScore(entry) {
let score = 0;
// Check for suspicious patterns
if (this.isFreeCertificate(entry)) score += 20;
if (this.isWildcardCertificate(entry)) score += 15;
if (this.hasTyposquatting(entry)) score += 40;
if (this.isRecentlyIssued(entry)) score += 10;
return Math.min(score, 100);
}
}
Certificate Security Assessment Matrix
| Certificate Type | Validation Level | Trust Indicator | Security Rating | Recommended Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extended Validation (EV) | Highest | Green address bar | A+ | E-commerce, Banking |
| Organization Validation (OV) | Medium | Organization name visible | A | Corporate websites |
| Domain Validation (DV) | Basic | Lock icon only | B+ | General websites |
| Self-Signed | None | Browser warning | F | Development only |
| Let's Encrypt | Domain | Lock icon | B+ | Cost-effective DV |
Analyze certificate security with our SSL Security Scanner for comprehensive certificate assessment.
Certificate Chain Validation & Trust Path Analysis
Certificate chain validation ensures the complete trust path from root Certificate Authority (CA) to end-entity certificate. Proper chain validation prevents man-in-the-middle attacks, certificate pinning bypasses, and trust relationship vulnerabilities.
Chain Validation Implementation:
// Certificate chain validation
class CertificateChainValidator {
constructor() {
this.rootCAs = this.loadRootCAs();
this.intermediates = new Map();
}
validateChain(certificateChain) {
const validation = {
isValid: false,
issues: [],
trustPath: [],
securityScore: 0
};
// Check each certificate in the chain
for (let i = 0; i < certificateChain.length; i++) {
const cert = certificateChain[i];
const issuer = certificateChain[i + 1];
const certValidation = this.validateCertificate(cert, issuer);
validation.issues.push(...certValidation.issues);
validation.trustPath.push({
subject: cert.subject,
issuer: cert.issuer,
valid: certValidation.isValid,
keySize: this.getKeySize(cert),
signatureAlgorithm: cert.signatureAlgorithm
});
}
// Validate root certificate
const rootCert = certificateChain[certificateChain.length - 1];
validation.isValid = this.isRootCAValid(rootCert);
validation.securityScore = this.calculateSecurityScore(validation);
return validation;
}
validateCertificate(cert, issuer) {
const issues = [];
// Check expiration
if (this.isExpired(cert)) {
issues.push({ type: 'EXPIRED', severity: 'HIGH' });
}
if (this.isExpiringSoon(cert, 30)) {
issues.push({ type: 'EXPIRING_SOON', severity: 'MEDIUM' });
}
// Check key strength
if (this.getKeySize(cert) < 2048) {
issues.push({ type: 'WEAK_KEY', severity: 'HIGH' });
}
// Check signature algorithm
if (this.isWeakSignatureAlgorithm(cert.signatureAlgorithm)) {
issues.push({ type: 'WEAK_SIGNATURE', severity: 'HIGH' });
}
return {
isValid: issues.filter(i => i.severity === 'HIGH').length === 0,
issues
};
}
}
Certificate Pinning Validation:
// HPKP (HTTP Public Key Pinning) validation
class CertificatePinning {
constructor() {
this.pinStore = new Map();
}
validatePinning(hostname, certificateChain, hpkpHeader) {
const pins = this.parseHPKPHeader(hpkpHeader);
const chainPins = this.extractChainPins(certificateChain);
const validation = {
isValid: false,
matchedPin: null,
violations: [],
recommendations: []
};
// Check if any pin matches
for (const pin of pins) {
if (chainPins.includes(pin.hash)) {
validation.isValid = true;
validation.matchedPin = pin;
break;
}
}
if (!validation.isValid) {
validation.violations.push({
type: 'PIN_MISMATCH',
message: 'No certificate in chain matches pinned keys'
});
}
// Generate recommendations
validation.recommendations = this.generatePinningRecommendations(
certificateChain,
pins
);
return validation;
}
extractChainPins(chain) {
return chain.map(cert => {
const publicKey = this.extractPublicKey(cert);
return crypto.createHash('sha256').update(publicKey).digest('base64');
});
}
parseHPKPHeader(header) {
const pins = [];
const pinMatches = header.match(/pin-sha256="([^"]+)"/g) || [];
pinMatches.forEach(match => {
const hash = match.match(/pin-sha256="([^"]+)"/)[1];
pins.push({ hash, type: 'sha256' });
});
return pins;
}
}
CA Trust Assessment:
// Certificate Authority validation
const caTrustLevels = {
// Tier 1: Premium CAs
premium: [
'DigiCert Inc',
'GlobalSign',
'Entrust',
'Sectigo'
],
// Tier 2: Standard CAs
standard: [
'Let\'s Encrypt',
'Amazon',
'Google Trust Services',
'Cloudflare'
],
// Tier 3: Regional CAs
regional: [
'CFCA',
'HARICA',
'Certum'
],
// Untrusted/Compromised
untrusted: [
'WoSign',
'StartCom',
'Symantec (legacy)'
]
};
function assessCATrust(issuer) {
const issuerName = issuer.organizationName || issuer.commonName;
for (const [tier, cas] of Object.entries(caTrustLevels)) {
if (cas.some(ca => issuerName.includes(ca))) {
return {
tier,
trustLevel: getTrustScore(tier),
reputation: getCAAIssuerReputation(issuerName)
};
}
}
return {
tier: 'unknown',
trustLevel: 0,
reputation: 'unverified'
};
}
OCSP & CRL Validation:
// Certificate revocation checking
class RevocationChecker {
async checkRevocationStatus(certificate) {
const results = {
ocspStatus: null,
crlStatus: null,
isRevoked: false,
lastChecked: new Date()
};
// Check OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol)
if (certificate.extensions.authorityInfoAccess) {
results.ocspStatus = await this.checkOCSP(certificate);
}
// Check CRL (Certificate Revocation List)
if (certificate.extensions.crlDistributionPoints) {
results.crlStatus = await this.checkCRL(certificate);
}
results.isRevoked = results.ocspStatus?.status === 'revoked' ||
results.crlStatus?.status === 'revoked';
return results;
}
async checkOCSP(certificate) {
const ocspUrl = this.extractOCSPUrl(certificate);
if (!ocspUrl) return null;
try {
const request = this.buildOCSPRequest(certificate);
const response = await fetch(ocspUrl, {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/ocsp-request' },
body: request
});
const ocspResponse = await this.parseOCSPResponse(response);
return {
status: ocspResponse.status,
responseTime: new Date(ocspResponse.producedAt),
nextUpdate: new Date(ocspResponse.nextUpdate)
};
} catch (error) {
return { status: 'error', error: error.message };
}
}
}
Comprehensive Whois Domain Intelligence
Whois domain analysis provides critical intelligence about domain ownership, registration history, DNS configuration, and potential security risks. Modern domain intelligence combines traditional Whois data with DNS records, subdomain enumeration, and threat intelligence feeds.
Domain Intelligence Analysis Framework
Comprehensive Whois Analysis:
// Advanced Whois analysis
class DomainIntelligence {
constructor() {
this.whoisServers = this.loadWhoisServers();
this.threatFeeds = this.initializeThreatFeeds();
}
async analyzeDomain(domain) {
const analysis = {
whoisData: await this.getWhoisData(domain),
dnsRecords: await this.getDNSRecords(domain),
subdomains: await this.enumerateSubdomains(domain),
threatIntelligence: await this.checkThreatFeeds(domain),
securityScore: 0,
riskFactors: []
};
// Analyze registration patterns
analysis.registrationAnalysis = this.analyzeRegistration(analysis.whoisData);
// Check for suspicious patterns
analysis.riskFactors.push(...this.identifyRiskFactors(analysis));
// Calculate security score
analysis.securityScore = this.calculateDomainSecurityScore(analysis);
return analysis;
}
async getWhoisData(domain) {
const tld = domain.split('.').pop();
const whoisServer = this.whoisServers[tld] || 'whois.iana.org';
try {
const whoisResponse = await this.queryWhoisServer(domain, whoisServer);
return this.parseWhoisResponse(whoisResponse);
} catch (error) {
return { error: error.message };
}
}
identifyRiskFactors(analysis) {
const risks = [];
// Recently registered domain
const regDate = new Date(analysis.whoisData.registrationDate);
if (Date.now() - regDate.getTime() < 30 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000) {
risks.push({
type: 'RECENTLY_REGISTERED',
severity: 'MEDIUM',
description: 'Domain registered within last 30 days'
});
}
// Privacy protection enabled
if (analysis.whoisData.privacyProtection) {
risks.push({
type: 'PRIVACY_PROTECTION',
severity: 'LOW',
description: 'Domain registration details hidden'
});
}
// Multiple DNS changes
if (analysis.dnsRecords.changeFrequency > 10) {
risks.push({
type: 'FREQUENT_DNS_CHANGES',
severity: 'HIGH',
description: 'Unusual DNS modification patterns'
});
}
return risks;
}
}
DNS Security Assessment:
// DNS security analysis
class DNSSecurityAnalyzer {
async analyzeDNSSecurity(domain) {
const analysis = {
dnssecEnabled: false,
spoofingRisk: 'LOW',
resolverSecurity: {},
configurations: []
};
// Check DNSSEC implementation
analysis.dnssecEnabled = await this.checkDNSSEC(domain);
// Analyze DNS records for security issues
const records = await this.getAllDNSRecords(domain);
analysis.configurations = this.analyzeDNSConfigurations(records);
// Check for DNS spoofing indicators
analysis.spoofingRisk = this.assessSpoofingRisk(records);
return analysis;
}
async checkDNSSEC(domain) {
try {
const dnskeyQuery = await dns.resolve(domain, 'DNSKEY');
return dnskeyQuery.length > 0;
} catch (error) {
return false;
}
}
analyzeDNSConfigurations(records) {
const issues = [];
// Check for wildcard DNS
if (records.some(r => r.name.startsWith('*.'))) {
issues.push({
type: 'WILDCARD_DNS',
severity: 'MEDIUM',
description: 'Wildcard DNS records present'
});
}
// Check SPF records
const spfRecords = records.filter(r => r.type === 'TXT' && r.data.includes('v=spf1'));
if (spfRecords.length === 0) {
issues.push({
type: 'MISSING_SPF',
severity: 'HIGH',
description: 'No SPF record found'
});
}
// Check DMARC policy
const dmarcRecords = records.filter(r => r.name.startsWith('_dmarc.'));
if (dmarcRecords.length === 0) {
issues.push({
type: 'MISSING_DMARC',
severity: 'HIGH',
description: 'No DMARC policy configured'
});
}
return issues;
}
}
Analyze domain security with our Domain Security Analyzer for comprehensive domain intelligence.
Domain Risk Indicators
- Registration Age: <30 days = High risk
- Privacy Protection: Reduces transparency
- Registrar Reputation: Check trustworthiness
- DNS Changes: Frequent modifications suspicious
- Geographic Mismatch: Hosting vs registration location
- Subdomain Proliferation: Excessive subdomain creation
- Blacklist Status: Security vendor listings
- Certificate History: Suspicious SSL patterns
Security Validation Points
- DNSSEC: DNS authentication and integrity
- SPF Records: Email sender validation
- DMARC Policy: Email authentication policy
- CAA Records: Certificate authority authorization
- BIMI Records: Brand indicator validation
- Registry Lock: Registrar-level protection
- 2FA on Registrar: Account security measures
- Contact Verification: Owner identity confirmation
Security Headers Comprehensive Audit
Security headers provide crucial browser-based security controls including Content Security Policy (CSP), HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), X-Frame-Options, and other defensive measures. Modern security header auditing requires understanding implementation complexities and compatibility considerations.
CSP Policy Analysis:
// Content Security Policy analyzer
class CSPAnalyzer {
analyzePolicyStrength(cspHeader) {
const policy = this.parseCSP(cspHeader);
const analysis = {
grade: 'F',
score: 0,
issues: [],
recommendations: []
};
// Check for unsafe directives
const unsafePatterns = [
'unsafe-inline',
'unsafe-eval',
'data:',
'*'
];
for (const [directive, values] of Object.entries(policy)) {
for (const value of values) {
if (unsafePatterns.some(pattern => value.includes(pattern))) {
analysis.issues.push({
directive,
value,
severity: 'HIGH',
type: 'UNSAFE_DIRECTIVE'
});
}
}
}
// Check for missing critical directives
const criticalDirectives = [
'default-src',
'script-src',
'style-src',
'img-src'
];
criticalDirectives.forEach(directive => {
if (!policy[directive]) {
analysis.issues.push({
directive,
severity: 'MEDIUM',
type: 'MISSING_DIRECTIVE'
});
}
});
// Calculate security score
analysis.score = this.calculateCSPScore(policy, analysis.issues);
analysis.grade = this.getSecurityGrade(analysis.score);
return analysis;
}
generateStrictCSP(domain, requirements = {}) {
const strictPolicy = {
'default-src': ["'none'"],
'script-src': [
"'self'",
"'strict-dynamic'",
"'nonce-{NONCE}'"
],
'style-src': [
"'self'",
"'unsafe-hashes'"
],
'img-src': [
"'self'",
'data:',
`https://${domain}`
],
'font-src': ["'self'"],
'connect-src': ["'self'"],
'frame-ancestors': ["'none'"],
'base-uri': ["'none'"],
'form-action': ["'self'"]
};
return this.serializeCSP(strictPolicy);
}
}
Security Headers Validation:
// Complete security headers audit
const securityHeadersAudit = {
// HTTP Strict Transport Security
hsts: {
required: true,
minMaxAge: 31536000, // 1 year
checkIncludeSubDomains: true,
checkPreload: true
},
// X-Frame-Options
xFrameOptions: {
required: true,
allowedValues: ['DENY', 'SAMEORIGIN']
},
// X-Content-Type-Options
xContentTypeOptions: {
required: true,
expectedValue: 'nosniff'
},
// Referrer Policy
referrerPolicy: {
required: true,
recommendedValues: [
'strict-origin-when-cross-origin',
'same-origin',
'strict-origin'
]
},
// Permissions Policy (Feature Policy)
permissionsPolicy: {
required: true,
recommendedRestrictions: [
'camera=self',
'microphone=self',
'geolocation=self',
'payment=self'
]
}
};
function auditSecurityHeaders(headers) {
const audit = {
overall: 'FAIL',
score: 0,
headers: {}
};
// Audit each security header
Object.entries(securityHeadersAudit).forEach(([header, config]) => {
const headerValue = headers[header] || headers[header.toLowerCase()];
audit.headers[header] = {
present: !!headerValue,
value: headerValue,
compliant: false,
issues: []
};
if (config.required && !headerValue) {
audit.headers[header].issues.push('Header missing');
} else if (headerValue) {
audit.headers[header].compliant = validateHeaderValue(
header,
headerValue,
config
);
}
});
return audit;
}
| HSTS Configuration | Security Level | Max-Age Setting | includeSubDomains | Preload Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic HSTS | Medium | max-age=31536000 | Not included | No |
| HSTS with Subdomains | Good | max-age=31536000 | includeSubDomains | No |
| HSTS Preload Ready | Excellent | max-age=63072000 | includeSubDomains | preload |
Automated Security Monitoring & Alerting
Continuous security monitoring ensures ongoing protection through automated certificate expiration alerts, domain changes monitoring, security header regression detection, and threat intelligence integration. Modern monitoring systems provide real-time security posture assessment and incident response capabilities.
Automated Monitoring System
// Automated security monitoring
class SecurityMonitor {
constructor() {
this.monitoringIntervals = new Map();
this.alertThresholds = {
certificateExpiry: 30, // days
domainChanges: 24, // hours
securityHeaderChanges: 1 // hour
};
}
startMonitoring(domains) {
domains.forEach(domain => {
// Certificate monitoring
this.scheduleCertificateCheck(domain);
// Domain monitoring
this.scheduleDomainMonitoring(domain);
// Security headers monitoring
this.scheduleHeadersMonitoring(domain);
});
}
async checkCertificateExpiry(domain) {
try {
const cert = await this.getCertificate(domain);
const daysUntilExpiry = this.calculateDaysUntilExpiry(cert);
if (daysUntilExpiry <= this.alertThresholds.certificateExpiry) {
await this.sendAlert({
type: 'CERTIFICATE_EXPIRY',
domain,
severity: daysUntilExpiry <= 7 ? 'CRITICAL' : 'WARNING',
message: `Certificate expires in ${daysUntilExpiry} days`,
expiryDate: cert.validTo
});
}
// Store result for trending
await this.logMonitoringResult(domain, 'certificate', {
status: 'valid',
expiryDate: cert.validTo,
daysUntilExpiry,
issuer: cert.issuer
});
} catch (error) {
await this.sendAlert({
type: 'CERTIFICATE_ERROR',
domain,
severity: 'CRITICAL',
message: `Certificate check failed: ${error.message}`
});
}
}
async monitorDomainChanges(domain) {
const current = await this.getDomainInfo(domain);
const baseline = await this.getBaselineDomainInfo(domain);
const changes = this.detectChanges(current, baseline);
if (changes.length > 0) {
await this.sendAlert({
type: 'DOMAIN_CHANGES',
domain,
severity: 'HIGH',
changes,
message: `Detected ${changes.length} domain changes`
});
}
// Update baseline
await this.updateBaseline(domain, current);
}
}
Alert & Response System
// Incident response automation
class SecurityIncidentResponse {
constructor() {
this.responsePlaybooks = this.loadPlaybooks();
this.escalationMatrix = this.loadEscalationMatrix();
}
async handleSecurityAlert(alert) {
// Classify threat severity
const classification = this.classifyThreat(alert);
// Execute automated response
if (classification.autoResponse) {
await this.executeAutomatedResponse(alert, classification);
}
// Send notifications
await this.sendNotifications(alert, classification);
// Log incident
await this.logIncident({
...alert,
classification,
responseActions: classification.actions,
timestamp: new Date()
});
}
classifyThreat(alert) {
const rules = {
'CERTIFICATE_EXPIRED': {
severity: 'CRITICAL',
autoResponse: true,
actions: ['block_domain', 'notify_admin']
},
'MALICIOUS_CERTIFICATE': {
severity: 'CRITICAL',
autoResponse: true,
actions: ['quarantine_domain', 'alert_security_team']
},
'DOMAIN_HIJACK': {
severity: 'CRITICAL',
autoResponse: false,
actions: ['notify_legal', 'document_evidence']
},
'SECURITY_HEADER_REMOVED': {
severity: 'HIGH',
autoResponse: false,
actions: ['notify_dev_team', 'create_ticket']
}
};
return rules[alert.type] || {
severity: 'MEDIUM',
autoResponse: false,
actions: ['log_event']
};
}
async generateSecurityReport(domain, period = '7d') {
const report = {
domain,
period,
generatedAt: new Date(),
summary: {},
incidents: [],
recommendations: []
};
// Gather monitoring data
const monitoringData = await this.getMonitoringData(domain, period);
// Generate summary
report.summary = {
totalChecks: monitoringData.length,
incidentsFound: monitoringData.filter(d => d.hasIssues).length,
certificateHealth: this.assessCertificateHealth(monitoringData),
domainSecurity: this.assessDomainSecurity(monitoringData)
};
return report;
}
}
Website Security Auditing Excellence
Comprehensive website security auditing combines SSL certificate validation, domain intelligence analysis, security headers assessment, and continuous monitoring for robust cybersecurity posture. Success requires automated systems, threat intelligence integration, and proactive incident response capabilities.
SSL Grade Target
Headers Compliance
Monitoring Coverage
Threat Detection
Audit your website security with our Complete Security Audit Suite.
Security Tools
Security Impact
Malware via HTTPS
Certificate Breaches
Detection Rate
Security Grade