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Is .gov safe? The state of .gov domain security
.gov is safer than the internet average. Across 15,516 graded .gov domains, 32% score an F — cleaner than the 78.3% global average — better company than most of the web. 16.8% earn a B or better. Most .gov domains can still be impersonated in email, but the ending shifts the odds, not your own domain's grade. As of 2026-08-16.
Of 14,077 graded .gov domains, 28% earn an F — well below the 73.8% internet-wide average. DMARC enforcement here stands at 38.5% — above the 11.8% census-wide rate.
How do .gov domains score?
Aggregate grade distribution across all graded .gov domains — we never publish an individual business's grade. As of 2026-08-16.
| Grade | Domains | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 167 | 1.1% |
| A | 494 | 3.2% |
| B | 1,938 | 12.5% |
| C | 4,113 | 26.5% |
| D | 3,844 | 24.8% |
| F | 4,960 | 32% |
Does .gov make a domain secure?
No — and that's the most important thing to know. A domain's grade is decided by how it is configured (SPF, DMARC, HTTPS, DNS), not by its ending. Choosing .gov doesn't protect you, and a high-F-share ending doesn't doom you: a correctly configured .gov domain earns an A while the crowd around it sits at F.
Want to know where your .gov domain ranks? Check it privately and free — we only ever show an individual domain's grade to its verified owner. Run the free check →
Frequently asked questions
Is .gov safe?
On average, .gov is safer than the internet average: 32% of its 15,516 graded domains score an F as of 2026-08-16, against a 78.3% global average. Most domains on every ending are exposed — the ending shifts the odds, not your own domain's grade.
How secure are .gov domains?
68.0% of .gov domains score above an F and 16.8% earn a B or better. The rest fail the basic externally observable protections, most importantly enforced SPF and DMARC, so they can be impersonated in email.
Does choosing .gov make my domain secure?
No. A domain's grade comes from how it is configured — SPF, DMARC, HTTPS, DNS — not from its ending. A well-configured domain earns an A on any ending; an unconfigured one sits at F on .gov too.
What does "grade F" mean for a .gov domain?
It fails the basic protections we can observe from outside — above all, it has no enforced SPF and DMARC, so its email can be forged and its customers targeted with convincing fakes.
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