Security Headers Checker
Check the headers a public website sends to browsers. See what is configured, what deserves review, and where to start improving protection.
What does this checker examine?
It reviews security-related HTTP response headers, including HTTPS enforcement (HSTS), Content Security Policy (CSP), framing controls, MIME-sniffing protection, and privacy policies.
Important: A response-header check is not a penetration test or a guarantee of security. Some policies depend on the page, browser, and application. Review suggested changes before enabling them on a production site.
How to Check Your Website’s Security Headers
A Security Headers Checker helps you identify which HTTP security policies a website sends to browsers. These policies can help reduce risks associated with clickjacking, content injection, insecure connections, and unnecessary information sharing.
To check your website:
- Enter your website address. Type a public domain such as
example.comor a complete URL such ashttps://example.com. - Click Check Headers. The tool requests the website’s HTTP response headers through the NetTools Pakistan server.
- Review your results. Examine configured policies, headers needing review, and headers not observed in the response.
The report also displays the HTTP response status, the request method, redirect count, and the observed security header values.
You do not need to install software or access your website’s hosting control panel to perform a check.
What HTTP Security Headers Does This Tool Check?
HTTP security headers are instructions sent by a web server with its response. Browsers use supported headers to apply security and privacy restrictions.
The checker focuses on four core areas and three supplementary policies.
1. HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
The Strict-Transport-Security header tells compatible browsers to use HTTPS for future connections to a website.
HSTS can help prevent insecure HTTP connections after a browser has learned the site’s policy.
A properly configured HTTPS website may benefit from HSTS, but enabling it without checking certificate reliability and subdomain support can cause accessibility problems.
2. Content Security Policy (CSP)
The Content-Security-Policy header helps control which sources a webpage can use for scripts, styles, images, and other resources.
An appropriately designed CSP can reduce the impact of certain cross-site scripting and content injection attacks.
The checker looks for an enforced CSP and distinguishes it from Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only, which can report violations without enforcing restrictions.
A present CSP header does not automatically mean the policy is strong. Its directives must match the website’s actual requirements.
3. Clickjacking Protection
Clickjacking can occur when a malicious website embeds another page in a frame and tricks visitors into interacting with hidden or misleading content.
Two relevant protections are:
X-Frame-Options, which can restrict framing through values such asDENYorSAMEORIGIN.- The CSP
frame-ancestorsdirective, which controls which websites may embed a page.
The checker examines the available framing protection rather than requiring both mechanisms in every case.
4. X-Content-Type-Options
The X-Content-Type-Options header can instruct browsers not to guess certain resource types.
A commonly recommended setting is:
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
This helps reduce risks caused by browsers treating content as a different type from the one declared by the server. Correct Content-Type values remain important.
Additional Security and Privacy Headers
The checker also examines:
Referrer-Policy: Controls how much referring URL information browsers send when navigating or requesting resources.
Permissions-Policy: Can restrict access to supported browser capabilities, depending on the configured directives.
Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy (COOP): Helps control relationships between a document and other browsing contexts, including some cross-origin windows.
These settings depend on website functionality. A missing supplementary header is not necessarily a security vulnerability.
How to Understand Your Security Headers Report
The tool presents individual findings with explanatory notes and suggested next steps.
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Configured | A recognizable policy was found. Its effectiveness still depends on the actual configuration. |
| Review | A policy was detected, but its value may need improvement or further examination. |
| Not observed | The header or policy was not found in the HTTP response inspected. |
| Not applicable | The particular check does not apply to the response, such as HSTS evaluation on an HTTP response. |
The report provides counts for configured, review, and not-observed findings. These counts are not a security score or certification.
A website can have several headers configured and still contain serious vulnerabilities. Equally, an absent header does not always indicate an exploitable weakness.
What Should You Do If Security Headers Are Missing?
Start by identifying which policy matters for your website and why it was flagged.
For example, if your HTTPS website does not send an HSTS header, confirm that HTTPS works reliably before introducing a long-duration policy.
If CSP is missing, review the scripts, plugins, external services, and resources your pages actually use. Applying an overly restrictive policy without testing may break forms, payment integrations, analytics, or other legitimate features.
Security headers may be managed through your web server, reverse proxy, content delivery network, or application configuration. The correct method depends on your hosting environment.
Do not copy security header configurations blindly into a live website. Test changes in staging, verify important functions, and recheck the affected pages afterward.
Important Limitations of This Checker
This tool examines security-related headers from a single HTTP response. It does not perform a comprehensive website security audit.
The scanner initially uses an HTTP HEAD request and may use GET when the remote server does not support HEAD. Responses can differ by request method, page, server, location, or authentication state.
A successful check does not establish that every page uses identical policies. The scanner does not assess all JavaScript vulnerabilities, cookie security attributes, TLS configuration strength, server software vulnerabilities, or website permissions.
The checker supports public HTTP and HTTPS destinations. For safety, it rejects private network targets, URLs containing query parameters or fragments, and unsupported ports. Some redirects or network restrictions may prevent a scan from completing.
Privacy and Data Handling
The website URL you submit is processed by the NetTools Pakistan server, which requests the destination’s response headers. The check does not run entirely within your browser.
The tool does not retain the remote page body. Results may be cached for approximately five minutes, and hosting or server logs may retain operational request information.
Avoid entering confidential links, authentication tokens, or private administrative URLs.
Learn More About HTTP Security Headers
For detailed technical recommendations, consult these resources:
OWASP HTTP Security Response Headers Cheat Sheet
OWASP Content Security Policy Cheat Sheet
Security headers are one part of protecting a website. Keeping software updated, managing access permissions, using HTTPS correctly, and reviewing application security remain essential.
NetTools Pakistan provides this independent diagnostic tool for informational purposes. Results should guide further investigation rather than replace a professional security assessment.