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Security report for be.brussels

Brussels-Capital Region · Government · Belgium

Partial score · DNS & email only

65/100

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

The be.brussels website serves as the official portal for the Brussels-Capital Region government, providing comprehensive information on regional administrations, public services, and community resources. It targets residents, businesses, and visitors seeking authoritative regional information. The site is well-positioned as a trusted government resource with a clear focus on accessibility and transparency. Technically, the website leverages modern web technologies including React and Next.js, ensuring fast performance and excellent mobile optimization. The use of Matomo analytics reflects a privacy-conscious approach to user tracking. Accessibility is certified by the AnySurfer label, indicating a strong commitment to inclusive design. From a security perspective, the site employs HTTPS with strong SSL configuration and security headers. It integrates Google reCAPTCHA to protect forms and implements cookie consent mechanisms aligned with GDPR requirements. However, there is no explicit security policy or incident response information publicly available, which could be improved. Overall, the website demonstrates a high level of professionalism, trustworthiness, and compliance with privacy standards. It is suitable for general audiences and contains no adult or questionable content. Strategic recommendations include publishing dedicated security and incident response policies and enhancing transparency around data retention.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 100 · Medium
Checks completed
6of 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

2 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. 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

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

Keep watching be.brussels

This scan found 11 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.

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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
Email security
70
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
65

Not counted

  • Security headers: did not complete in this scan.
  • 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 be.brussels, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for be.brussels right now. New leaks arrive continuously, so monitoring on Breach alerts you if that changes.

Monitor on Breach (opens in a new tab)

Brand lookalikes

Add-on

Domains that imitate be.brussels and could be used for phishing or spoofed email, tracked in OffSeq Breach.

Tracked
5
Registered
5
Resolving
5
High or critical
0

Last checked 2026-06-19

Masked preview

  • be•••.brusselsLowaddition
  • be•••.brusselsLowaddition
  • be•••.brusselsLowaddition

See the full lookalike list

A one-off add-on that lists up to 20 of the highest-risk lookalikes of be.brussels with registration, mail-server, certificate and DNS signals.

Select it in the checkout above.

Lookalike data refreshes continuously. Monitoring on Breach alerts you when a variant is registered, gains a mail server or starts serving HTTPS.

Open in Breach(opens in a new tab)Monitor on Breach(opens in a new tab)

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

The Brussels-Capital Region operates as a governmental entity providing essential public services and information to its constituents. The website acts as a centralized digital hub for regional governance, transparency, and citizen engagement. Its business model is non-commercial, focused on public administration and service delivery. The site’s market position is authoritative within the regional government sector, serving a large and diverse audience including residents, businesses, and visitors. The presence of multilingual support (English, French, Dutch) reflects the region's linguistic diversity. The partnership ecosystem is not explicitly detailed, but the site links to official regional institutions and services. Growth indicators include ongoing content updates and integration of digital services like electronic counters and event information.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and use of CAPTCHA to mitigate automated abuse. Privacy compliance is strong with clear cookie consent and privacy policies. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analyzed content. However, the absence of a public security policy or incident response contact limits transparency and preparedness communication. There is no evidence of a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file, which are recommended best practices for government websites. Overall, the site is secure but could enhance its security culture and incident readiness visibility.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact channels such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Implement and publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Regularly review and audit third-party scripts and analytics tools for security and privacy compliance.
  5. Enhance transparency on data retention and processing practices to strengthen user trust.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Brussels-Capital Region
Description
Portal site of the Brussels-Capital Region providing information on administrations, cabinets, and regional services.
Key services
Information on regional administrations, Access to public services and procedures, News and events related to Brussels, Transparency and governance information
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Next.js, Matomo Analytics, Google reCAPTCHA
Frameworks
Next.js
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
excellent
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of reCAPTCHA for forms
  • Cookie consent mechanism
  • Accessibility compliance

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Matomo Analytics
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a well-maintained official government portal for the Brussels-Capital Region.
  2. Strong focus on accessibility and user experience.
  3. Comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms.
  4. Use of modern web technologies and analytics with privacy considerations.
  5. No signs of security or content blocking issues.
  6. No direct contact emails or phone numbers publicly listed; contact via form only.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern React and Next.js framework, enabling server-side rendering and optimized performance. The presence of multiple CSS chunks and asynchronous JavaScript loading indicates a modular and efficient front-end architecture. The site uses Matomo for analytics, which is a privacy-friendly alternative to mainstream trackers. Accessibility is prioritized, as evidenced by the AnySurfer certification and semantic HTML usage. The CMS appears to be Drupal, inferred from URL patterns and asset paths, suggesting a robust backend content management system. Performance is fast with responsive design and image optimization. No technical debt or deprecated libraries were detected in the provided content.
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

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 82/100Low22 findingsView report
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