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Security report for aternos.org

Aternos · Technology · N/a

Low risk. 4 critical or high findings in Security headers and GDPR outside view.

Security score

80/100

Risk levelLow

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

Aternos is a well-established provider of free Minecraft server hosting services, boasting a large user base exceeding 120 million users. The company offers personal Minecraft servers supporting both Java and Bedrock editions, with features such as mods, plugins, DDOS protection, automatic backups, and custom domains. Their business model is unique in that all services are free with no paid options, positioning them as a popular choice for Minecraft players seeking accessible multiplayer experiences. The website is professionally designed, multilingual, and provides clear navigation and extensive content about their offerings and team. Technically, the site leverages Cloudflare for DNS and CDN services, uses modern JavaScript libraries, and integrates Google Tag Manager for analytics. However, the absence of a valid SSL certificate and HTTPS support is a significant technical shortfall, impacting security and user trust. Performance is moderate, and mobile optimization is good, though accessibility features are basic. SEO practices are adequately implemented with proper meta tags and language alternates. From a security perspective, the site has strong DNS configurations including SPF and DMARC policies, reducing email spoofing risks. However, the lack of HTTPS, missing security headers, and no HSTS implementation are critical vulnerabilities that expose users to potential risks. No formal security policy, incident response contacts, or vulnerability disclosure mechanisms are evident, indicating room for improvement in security governance. Overall, Aternos presents a trustworthy and professional front for its free Minecraft server services but must urgently address its SSL/TLS deficiencies and enhance security best practices to protect its large user base and maintain compliance with privacy regulations.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
40/ 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

4 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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';…

  2. GDPR outside view

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

    • High

      No Privacy Policy found

      GDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy

      What to do: Add a comprehensive privacy policy page and link to it prominently

    • 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

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

Keep watching aternos.org

This scan found 13 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

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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
100
Security headers
65
Email security
87
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
40
Average
80

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

Aternos operates in the technology sector, specifically targeting the gaming community with free Minecraft server hosting. Their competitive advantage lies in offering a no-cost, easy-to-use platform with extensive customization options and strong community engagement. Revenue streams are not directly evident from the website, suggesting reliance on alternative monetization or sponsorship models. The company has a broad partnership ecosystem, including a notable partnership with Exaroton for high-end game servers. The large user base and multilingual support indicate a global reach and growth potential. Strategic observations include the need to enhance security posture and formalize compliance documentation to support sustainable growth and user trust.

Security posture

The current security maturity level of Aternos is moderate with significant gaps. While DNS security is robust with SPF and DMARC policies, the absence of HTTPS and valid SSL certificates is a critical vulnerability that undermines data confidentiality and integrity. The lack of security headers and HSTS further weakens the site's defense against common web attacks. No visible incident response or vulnerability disclosure processes are present, which could delay mitigation of security incidents. Compliance with GDPR is indicated through a comprehensive privacy policy, but cookie consent mechanisms are lacking. The security culture appears informal with no explicit security framework adherence. Business impact of these vulnerabilities includes potential user data exposure and reputational damage.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and maintain a valid SSL/TLS certificate to enable HTTPS across the entire site immediately.
  2. Enable modern TLS protocols (TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3) and disable deprecated protocols to enhance encryption strength.
  3. Deploy security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to mitigate common web vulnerabilities.
  4. Introduce a cookie consent mechanism to comply with privacy regulations and improve user transparency.
  5. Establish and publish a formal security policy and incident response plan, including dedicated security contact channels.
  6. Consider implementing a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  7. Enhance accessibility features to improve usability for all users and comply with standards.
  8. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and libraries to avoid vulnerabilities.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a custom CMS or framework with extensive use of JavaScript and FontAwesome icons. It uses Cloudflare for DNS and CDN services, which provides performance and security benefits. Google Tag Manager is integrated for analytics and marketing purposes. The site supports over 50 languages, indicating a mature internationalization effort. Performance is moderate with a page load time of approximately 4.5 seconds and 27 resources loaded. However, the lack of HTTPS and TLS support is a major technical deficiency. The DNS setup is well configured with multiple A and AAAA records, MX records pointing to Google mail servers, and valid SPF and DMARC records. No CMS like WordPress or Joomla is detected, suggesting a custom-built platform. Opportunities exist to modernize SSL/TLS configuration and improve security headers to reduce technical risks.
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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