Skip to main content

Security report for acato.nl

Acato · Technology · Netherlands

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, SSL/TLS and 1 other check.

Security score

67/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Acato is a well-established Dutch digital agency founded in 2000, specializing in strategy, development, UX design, and online marketing services primarily targeting (inter)national organizations and government entities. The company operates multiple offices in the Netherlands and holds ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, reflecting a mature approach to quality and information security management. Their website demonstrates a professional and modern digital presence built on WordPress, with strong compliance to GDPR and cookie consent regulations. The technical infrastructure includes modern JavaScript libraries and integrations with trusted third-party services such as Vimeo and Google Tag Manager. Security posture is robust with HTTPS, DNSSEC, and security certifications, although incident response policies and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms could be enhanced. Overall, Acato presents a credible, trustworthy, and technically sound digital agency with a strong market position in the Dutch technology and government sectors.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 100 · Low
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

4 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Consent Banner found

      GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

      What to do: Implement a cookie consent banner that appears on first visit

  2. 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.

    • High

      SSL Certificate Expires Soon

      SSL certificate expires in 22 days

      What to do: Renew SSL certificate before expiration

      • NIS2 21(2)(h)
      • IR 2024/2690 9.2(c): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 9.2(c): Cryptography
      • NIST SC-17: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-17: Public Key Infrastructure Certificates
    • High

      Weak SSL Key Length

      SSL certificate uses 384-bit key, which is considered weak

      What to do: Use at least 2048-bit RSA or 256-bit ECC key

      • CWE-326
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • Mozilla TLS: Mozilla Server Side TLS 6.0 intermediate: rsa_key_size 2048
  3. Network security

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

    • High

      High-Risk Service Exposed: FTP

      Port 21 (FTP) is publicly accessible - FTP - Often unencrypted file transfer

      What to do: Consider restricting access to FTP or implementing strong authentication

      • 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

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

Keep watching acato.nl

This scan found 17 issues across 5 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

€25per month

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

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

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
65
Security headers
100
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
80
Average
67

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
  • 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

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention acato.nl, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
6
Employees
0
Customers
5
Third parties
1
Weak passwords
17%

1 subdomain affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for acato.nl.

Select it in the checkout above.

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

Acato's market positioning as a fullservice digital agency with a focus on long-term client collaboration and digital accessibility gives it a competitive advantage in the Dutch and international markets. Their business model revolves around providing integrated digital solutions including strategy, UX, development, and marketing, supported by service and management offerings. The presence of ISO certifications and membership in Dutch Digital Agencies enhances their credibility. Their target customers include municipalities, semi-governmental organizations, and international clients, indicating a diversified client base. The company leverages social media and content marketing to maintain engagement and brand visibility. Growth indicators include recent content updates and active case studies showcasing successful projects. Partnerships with technology providers and use of modern web technologies reflect a forward-looking operational approach.

Security posture

The website and company demonstrate a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced, DNSSEC enabled, and ISO 27001 certification. Cookie consent mechanisms and privacy policies are comprehensive and GDPR compliant. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. However, the absence of a published incident response policy and security.txt file indicates room for improvement in vulnerability disclosure and incident management readiness. Security headers beyond HTTPS and DNSSEC are not explicitly observed, suggesting potential enhancements in HTTP header security. Overall, the security maturity is strong but could benefit from formalized incident response documentation and enhanced header policies.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a formal incident response policy and provide dedicated security contact channels (e.g., security@ or abuse@ email addresses).
  2. Implement and publish a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability disclosure.
  3. Enhance HTTP security headers by adding Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, and X-Frame-Options.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and plugins to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  5. Maintain continuous monitoring and staff training to strengthen security culture and compliance.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Acato
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Acato
Description
Een agency met focus op strategie? Bij Acato werken we voor (inter)nationale organisaties. Strategie, development, UX en online marketing onder één dak
Key services
Strategie, Development, UX Design, Online Marketing, Beheer & Service, Digitale toegankelijkheid, Website voor Overheid, Woo Portaal
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 6.8.1, jQuery, Vimeo Player, AOS (Animate On Scroll), Complianz GDPR Cookie Consent, MediaElement.js
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
WordPress CMS
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • DNSSEC enabled
  • Cookie consent mechanism implemented
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of security certifications ISO 27001

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional digital agency focused on strategy, development, UX, and marketing
  2. Multiple office locations in the Netherlands with clear contact info
  3. Strong compliance with GDPR and cookie consent
  4. Use of modern web technologies and CMS
  5. Presence of ISO certifications indicates mature security and quality management
  6. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity
  7. Good social media presence and external references
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress 6.8.1, utilizing modern JavaScript libraries such as jQuery, AOS for animations, and Vimeo Player for embedded video content. The Complianz GDPR plugin manages cookie consent effectively. The site is hosted likely by Shock Media B.V., the domain registrar, with DNSSEC enabled for DNS security. Performance is optimized with asynchronous script loading and image optimizations (webp format). The site is mobile responsive and accessibility features are implemented to a good standard. SEO is supported by comprehensive meta tags, Open Graph, and JSON-LD structured data. Technical risks are minimal, but reliance on third-party scripts requires ongoing vigilance. Overall, the technical infrastructure is modern, performant, and well-maintained.
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

Reviews of this site

Share your experience with acato.nl. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review acato.nl.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.