Defaults.Exposed › By TLD › .pub
Is .pub safe? The state of .pub domain security
.pub is riskier than the internet average. Across 14,777 graded .pub domains, 83.1% score an F — worse than the 78.3% global average — heavier on exposed domains than the web as a whole. 1.4% earn a B or better. Most .pub 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 12,024 graded .pub domains, 74% earn an F — close to the 73.8% internet-wide average. Only 0.3% reach an A or A+ — the highest protection tier in the census.
How do .pub domains score?
Aggregate grade distribution across all graded .pub domains — we never publish an individual business's grade. As of 2026-08-16.
| Grade | Domains | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 10 | 0.1% |
| A | 23 | 0.2% |
| B | 178 | 1.2% |
| C | 892 | 6% |
| D | 1,393 | 9.4% |
| F | 12,281 | 83.1% |
Does .pub 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 .pub doesn't protect you, and a high-F-share ending doesn't doom you: a correctly configured .pub domain earns an A while the crowd around it sits at F.
Want to know where your .pub 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 .pub safe?
On average, .pub is riskier than the internet average: 83.1% of its 14,777 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 .pub domains?
16.9% of .pub domains score above an F and 1.4% 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 .pub 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 .pub too.
What does "grade F" mean for a .pub 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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