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Security report for ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk

EMAP Publishing Limited · Media · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in Email security, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

72/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The AJ Buildings Library, operated by EMAP Publishing Limited, is a specialized digital platform offering a comprehensive database of architectural projects, architects, and related content. It targets architects, researchers, and industry professionals with a subscription-based model complemented by free-to-view projects. The website is well-branded and professionally designed, reflecting its established position in the architectural media sector in the UK. Technically, the site employs a mix of legacy and modern web technologies including jQuery, Foundation CSS, and OpenSeadragon for image viewing, supported by multiple analytics and advertising tools. Security posture is moderate with HTTPS usage implied but lacking explicit security headers and some outdated libraries. Privacy and cookie policies are present and GDPR compliant, enhancing user trust. Overall, the site is functional, content-rich, and credible, though improvements in security headers and technology updates are recommended.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
95/ 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. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

    • Critical

      No email authentication configured

      Domain is vulnerable to email spoofing

      What to do: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC immediately

    • High

      No SPF record found

      SPF helps prevent email spoofing

      What to do: Add SPF record: "v=spf1 include:_spf.yourmailprovider.com ~all"

  2. 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';…

  3. 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

      Weak Protocols Supported

      Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

      What to do: Disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and all SSL versions

      • CWE-327
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V12.1.1

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

Keep watching ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk

This scan found 21 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

€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.

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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
67
Security headers
70
Email security
40
DNS health
60
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
95
Average
72

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

AJ Buildings Library holds a niche market position as a trusted architectural resource under EMAP Publishing Limited. Its subscription model and integration with the Architects' Journal website provide competitive advantages. The platform serves a professional audience with detailed project data and search capabilities. Revenue streams likely include subscriptions and advertising. The partnership ecosystem includes related media and privacy policy hosts. Growth indicators include regular content updates and featured projects. Strategic observations suggest maintaining technology modernization and enhancing security policies to sustain market trust and compliance.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS usage and secure login dialogs. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content Security Policy, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options reduces its defense-in-depth. The use of older JavaScript libraries like jQuery 1.11.0 may expose the site to known vulnerabilities if not patched. No explicit incident response or security policy pages were found, indicating potential gaps in transparency and readiness. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear policies and cookie consent mechanisms. Overall, the security posture is adequate but requires enhancements to meet modern standards and regulatory expectations.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options to mitigate common web attacks.
  2. Upgrade JavaScript libraries, especially jQuery, to the latest secure versions to reduce vulnerability exposure.
  3. Publish explicit security and incident response policies to improve transparency and user trust.
  4. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and remediate potential vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance accessibility compliance and mobile optimization to improve user experience and broaden audience reach.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
EMAP Publishing Limited
Registration number
7880758
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
EMAP Publishing Limited
Description
AJ Buildings Library is a digital resource providing detailed architectural project information, images, and data primarily for architects and related professionals. It offers searchable access to building projects, architects, and related content.
Key services
Building project database, Architect profiles, Searchable architectural content, Subscription access
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 1.11.0, jQuery UI 1.8.2, Foundation CSS framework, OpenSeadragon, Slick Carousel, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, WebTrends analytics
Frameworks
Foundation
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
70/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of HTTPS (implied by URLs)
  • Login dialog with modal and form validation

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, WebTrends, Optimizely
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
AdTech
Tracking pixels
WebTrends, Optimizely
Marketing tools
Optimizely
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 rich content and interactive search features.
  2. No signs of malicious or suspicious content detected.
  3. Privacy and cookie policies are present and linked to reputable domains.
  4. Login and subscription mechanisms are implemented with modal dialogs.
  5. Use of multiple analytics and advertising networks indicates commercial operation.
  6. WHOIS data is unavailable due to domain naming rules error but website footer provides company legal info.
  7. No security headers detected in provided data; recommend adding for improved security posture.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a combination of legacy and modern web technologies, including jQuery 1.11.0, jQuery UI 1.8.2, Foundation CSS framework, OpenSeadragon for image viewing, and Slick Carousel for content sliders. Analytics and marketing tools include Google Analytics, WebTrends, Optimizely, and Google Tag Manager. The site is moderately optimized for mobile devices and has a clear navigation structure. However, the use of outdated JavaScript libraries and lack of explicit security headers indicate technical debt and potential security risks. Performance is moderate, with room for improvement in loading speed and SEO optimization. No CMS was explicitly detected. Hosting provider details are not available from the provided data.
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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