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Security report for a-d-s.ch

A*dS – Autorinnen und Autoren der Schweiz · Non-profit · Switzerland

High risk. 6 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Network security and 2 other checks.

Security score

40/100

Risk levelHigh

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

A*dS – Autorinnen und Autoren der Schweiz is a Swiss non-profit association dedicated to supporting authors and translators across Switzerland's linguistic regions. The organization promotes cultural, trade union, and political goals related to literature dissemination and exchange. The website serves as an information hub offering resources, funding opportunities, events, and member services, positioning itself as a key player in the Swiss literary community. Supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, it maintains a credible and professional presence with clear contact information and multilingual content.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 100 · Medium
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

6 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. SSL/TLS

    TLS encrypts the connection and proves the site is really yours. Weak or expiring certificates trigger browser warnings and put traffic at risk.

    • Critical

      Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

      Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

      What to do: Check if the server is accessible and SSL/TLS is properly configured

  2. Network security

    Services reachable from the internet are the first thing attackers probe. Anything open that does not need to be should be closed.

    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: MySQL

      Port 3306 (MySQL) is publicly accessible - MySQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to MySQL using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection

  3. Security headers

    Security headers are instructions your web server sends to every visitor’s browser. Missing ones leave visitors more exposed to attacks such as clickjacking and injected scripts.

    • High

      Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1
    • High

      Missing X-Frame-Options header

      Prevents clickjacking attacks

      What to do: Add "X-Frame-Options: DENY" or "X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN"

    • High

      Missing Content-Security-Policy header

      Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

      What to do: Implement a Content-Security-Policy appropriate for your application

      • ASVS V3.4.3
      • OWASP Secure Headers: OWASP Secure Headers Project recommends Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; form-action 'self'; base-uri 'self'; object-src 'none';…

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching a-d-s.ch

This scan found 19 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

Daily monitoring

Recommended

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

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Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
0
Security headers
25
Email security
70
DNS health
75
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
68
Average
40

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet · found on this site
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

The association operates as a non-profit entity focusing on advocacy, cultural promotion, and member support within the literary sector. Its market position is well-established in Switzerland, targeting authors, translators, and literary professionals. The business model revolves around membership services, cultural events, and informational resources. Partnerships with governmental bodies and cultural organizations enhance its credibility and outreach. The website's content and structure reflect a focused approach to serving its niche audience with relevant and timely information.

Security posture

The website employs HTTPS and basic security best practices such as email obfuscation and cookie consent mechanisms. However, it lacks explicit security headers and documented security policies or incident response contacts. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The use of Google Analytics is controlled via consent, aligning with privacy regulations. Overall, the security posture is moderate but could be improved by implementing additional headers, updating libraries, and publishing security policies.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content Security Policy, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options.
  2. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information on the website.
  3. Regularly update all JavaScript libraries and dependencies to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  4. Consider adding a security.txt file to facilitate vulnerability disclosures.
  5. Enhance transparency around data retention policies related to analytics and cookies.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
A*dS – Autorinnen und Autoren der Schweiz
Description
Der AdS verfolgt kulturelle, gewerkschaftliche und politische Ziele. Er fördert die Verbreitung der Literatur und deren Austausch zwischen Autoren, Sprachgebieten und Ländern.
Key services
Advocacy for authors and translators, Information and resources on literary topics, Funding and grant opportunities, Events and symposiums, Member support and services
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 3.2.1, Popper.js, Bootstrap, Google Analytics (gtag.js), CookieConsent.js, EmailObfuscator.js
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
70/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced (implied by URL)
  • Email obfuscation to prevent scraping
  • Cookie consent with opt-in/out for tracking

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics
Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Transparency
basic

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
good
Navigation
good
Professionalism
good
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenges.
  2. Content is well-structured and relevant to Swiss authors and translators.
  3. Privacy and cookie policies are present and GDPR compliant.
  4. No terms of service page detected.
  5. Contact information is clearly provided with email, phone, and physical address.
  6. Use of Google Analytics with consent mechanism indicates privacy awareness.
  7. No explicit security policy or incident response information found.
  8. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file detected.
  9. Social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
  10. No suspicious or malicious external domains detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a traditional tech stack including jQuery 3.2.1, Popper.js, Bootstrap, and Google Analytics with a cookie consent mechanism. The HTML structure is valid and supports accessibility features such as skip links and responsive design. Performance is moderate with room for optimization. No CMS or hosting provider details were detected. The site is mobile-optimized and SEO-friendly with proper meta tags and Open Graph data. Technical risks are minimal but updating legacy libraries and adding modern security headers would reduce potential attack surfaces.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

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