New version Internet.nl: X-XSS-Protection removed and improvement for no MX domains

News | July 13, 2020

As of today a new version of Internet.nl is available that contains some small improvements and bugfixes. Although it is not big change, we hope you enjoy it. Good luck testing and improving on modern Internet standards!

X-XSS-Protection test removed

We decided to remove the test for X-XSS-Protection. Most browsers have deprecated support for X-XSS-Protection making it of very limited security value in practice. Furthermore browser implementations can be vulnerable for cross-site leak attacks. We advise website owners to use Content-Security-Policy (CSP) without allowing unsafe-inline scripts instead of X-XSS-Protection.

No MX configured

When no mail server (MX) is configured or when we detect a Null MX record certain tests are not applicable. From now on Internet.nl shows blue informational icons (instead of orange warnings) for these test results and provides more suitable verdict texts. Like before there is no score impact. So it is fine to have no MX configured, as long as you are aware and you still have the relevant standards (like DMARC) in place.

We advise to use "Null MX" (RFC 7505) for a domain without mail servers. In that way a domain clearly announces that it accepts no email. Note that the test does not fall back to A/AAAA records for mail servers in case of absence of an MX record.

About Internet.nl

The test tool Internet.nl is an initiative of the Dutch Internet Standards Platform which is a collaboration of partners from the internet community and the Dutch government. The aim of the platform is to jointly increase the use of modern Internet standards to make the Internet more accessible, safer and more reliable for everyone. ECP provides for the administrative home of the platform. Open Netlabs / NLnet Labs is responsible for the technical realisation of Internet.nl.

Release notes

  • New:

    • Remove test for X-XSS-Protection
    • No MX configured: informational status/icons and more suitable category verdict for STARTTLS and DANE

  • Bugfixes:

    • Fix breaking bug when the cert chain could not be received
    • Fix breaking bug for DANE-TA
    • Make sure to pick and test the same mail servers when the number of configured mail servers is greater than the allowed one
    • Mailservers without STARTTLS support give wrong verdict
    • Make sure only one SMTP connection is active at a time
    • Fix IPv6 connectivity for nameservers
    • Fix uncaught exception when decrypting HTTPS data
    • Fix for connecting to either IPv4 or IPv6 for the mail test

Other news

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Frequently asked questions

How can I improve the score of a test?

In the test results, you will find an explanation of our findings for all the (sub)tests. Based on this, you could (let someone) make changes to your web or mailserver or connection.

Additional information can be found in our Knowledge base or our Toolbox Wiki.

Why do other test tools show different results?

Internet.nl attempts to always test against the most recent norms and standards. Additionally, we test as thoroughly as we can realise. This is why our results can differ from other (commonly-used) testing tools.

Some of the norms used in Internet.nl are set by the Dutch government. These can be implemented world-wide (and we recommend it!), but be aware that local regulations may differ from the norms used in Internet.nl.

How can I keep up to date of new developments?

News about Internet.nl is always shared on our website and social media. New versions are announced in a news post with the most important changes. You can also follow our work on the source code, new ideas and contributions are very welcome as well!

Users of our API and dashboard are automatically signed up to a mailing list in which we share updates and organise virtual meetings.

How can I (regularly) test multiple domain names?

This is supported by our dashboard and API. You can request an account here if your organisation fits in the target audience. The dashboard is also open source, so you could host this yourself as well.

In the dashboard, it is possible to enter lists of domain names, which then can be automatically tested on a specified interval. You can opt-in to receive an e-mail for every test result.

Can I join the Dutch Internet Standards Platform?

Where our Platform is focused on Dutch organisations, we are facilitating the Global Internet Standards Testing Community (GISTC) to connect international users of the test tool. You can register yourself for the community via international@internet.nl.

Find more answers