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Security report for aibms.com

First Merchant Processing (Ireland) DAC trading as AIB Merchant Services · Finance · Ireland

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, SSL/TLS and 1 other check.

Security score

61/100

Risk levelMedium

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

AIB Merchant Services, operated by First Merchant Processing (Ireland) DAC, is a leading payment processing provider in Ireland and the UK. The company offers a comprehensive suite of payment solutions including online gateways, in-store POS systems, mobile payment devices, and data insights platforms. Their market position is strong, supported by regulatory compliance and partnerships with major payment brands such as Clover and SumUp. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand image targeting SMEs, corporate clients, and partners seeking reliable payment services. Technically, the site is built on WordPress with modern JavaScript libraries and integrates advanced tools like Google Tag Manager, Salesforce Live Agent, and ClickCease for analytics, customer support, and fraud prevention. Security posture is solid with PCI DSS compliance references and use of secure third-party services, though explicit HTTP security headers could be enhanced. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms. Overall, the site is trustworthy, well-maintained, and aligned with the business's operational and regulatory requirements.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
28/ 100 · High
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

5 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.

    • Critical

      No HTTPS encryption

      GDPR requires appropriate security measures for personal data

      What to do: Implement SSL/TLS certificate for HTTPS

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

    • 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.

    • Critical

      No HTTPS Encryption

      Website does not use HTTPS encryption, making all data transmission vulnerable to interception

      What to do: Implement SSL/TLS certificate and redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS

  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 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';…

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Keep watching aibms.com

This scan found 16 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.

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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
70
Email security
85
DNS health
80
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
28
Average
61

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

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

The company operates in the finance sector, focusing on payment processing and merchant services. It leverages a joint venture structure between Allied Irish Banks and First Data Corporation, providing a competitive advantage through scale and regulatory backing. Revenue streams likely include transaction fees, terminal leasing, and value-added services such as data analytics and loyalty programs. The target market spans SMEs to large corporates, with a growing emphasis on digital and mobile payment solutions. The partnership ecosystem includes major payment brands and technology providers, enhancing service offerings and market reach. Strategic observations include a focus on customer experience via self-service portals and webinars, indicating investment in client engagement and education.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with PCI DSS compliance and use of fraud prevention tools like ClickCease. Integration of Salesforce Live Agent suggests secure customer interaction channels. However, explicit HTTP security headers are not confirmed in the HTML content, representing an area for improvement. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. The absence of a public incident response contact or vulnerability disclosure policy is noted, which could enhance transparency and readiness. Overall, the security measures align with industry standards for payment processors, but continuous monitoring and header hardening are recommended.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and verify strong HTTP security headers including Content-Security-Policy, Strict-Transport-Security, and X-Frame-Options.
  2. Publish a clear incident response and vulnerability disclosure policy with dedicated contact channels.
  3. Enhance accessibility features to meet WCAG standards for broader compliance.
  4. Regularly audit third-party scripts and dependencies to mitigate supply chain risks.
  5. Increase transparency around data retention policies and user privacy controls.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
First Merchant Processing (Ireland) DAC trading as AIB Merchant Services
Registration number
13748155
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
First Merchant Processing (Ireland) DAC trading as AIB Merchant Services
Description
AIB Merchant Services is one of Ireland’s largest providers of payment solutions. They process millions of payments daily and support all major credit and debit card payments across multiple channels.
Key services
Online payment gateway (Authipay), In-store payment terminals and POS systems, Mobile/On-the-go payment devices, Data insights and reporting (Insight, Main Street Insights), Self-service portal for merchants
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 3.6.0, Owl Carousel, Fancybox, Yoast SEO plugin, Swiftype search, Google Tag Manager, Salesforce Live Agent chat, ClickCease anti-fraud
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
WordPress CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of Google Tag Manager with dataLayer
  • Use of ClickCease for fraud prevention
  • Salesforce Live Agent for secure chat
  • PCI DSS compliance references

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
ClickCease
Marketing tools
Swiftype Search
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and well structured.
  2. Content is comprehensive and relevant to payment processing services.
  3. Multiple trust signals including regulatory references and partner logos.
  4. Use of modern web technologies and integrations.
  5. No signs of blocking or WAF interference.
  6. Privacy and cookie policies are present with consent mechanisms.
  7. No exposed sensitive data or obvious vulnerabilities detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress CMS with a modern front-end stack including jQuery 3.6.0, Owl Carousel, and Fancybox for UI components. SEO is managed via Yoast SEO plugin, and search functionality is powered by Swiftype. Google Tag Manager is used for analytics and marketing tags, while ClickCease provides anti-fraud capabilities. Salesforce Live Agent integration enables real-time customer support. Performance is moderate, with room for optimization in loading times and mobile responsiveness. The site uses lazy loading for images and videos, improving perceived performance. Technical risks include reliance on multiple third-party scripts which require ongoing security management. Hosting provider details are not explicit, suggesting a need for infrastructure transparency.
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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