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Security report for bertelsmann-stiftung.de

Bertelsmann Stiftung · Non-profit · Germany

Partial score · DNS & email only

75/100

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

Bertelsmann Stiftung is a well-established non-profit foundation based in Germany, focusing on societal change through projects, studies, and events. The website reflects a mature digital presence with a professional design, clear navigation, and comprehensive content aimed at a broad audience including policymakers, researchers, and the general public. Technically, the site is built on TYPO3 CMS with modern web technologies and demonstrates good mobile optimization and accessibility. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and basic security headers, though explicit security policies and incident response information are not publicly disclosed. Privacy compliance is strong with clear privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms. Overall, the site is trustworthy and professionally managed, with no signs of malicious activity or vulnerabilities.

Scanned

3 of 7 checks could not complete. The site may be unreachable or blocking automated scans, so the results below cover only what could be checked. Try a rescan later.

NIS2 and GDPR posture

NIS2 outside view
Not assessed
GDPR outside view
Not assessed

Both readouts depend on the site's pages, which could not be loaded in this scan.

Priority findings

1 finding 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.

    • 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 bertelsmann-stiftung.de

This scan found 15 issues across 4 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
77
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
100
Average
78
After the cap
75

Not counted

  • Security headers: did not complete in this scan.
  • GDPR outside view: 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

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

The Bertelsmann Stiftung operates in the non-profit sector with a focus on social research, policy influence, and public engagement. Its market position is strong within Germany and internationally recognized. The foundation's business model revolves around funding and conducting research projects, publishing reports, and organizing events to influence societal development. The website supports this model by providing access to publications, news, and expert profiles. The presence of multiple social media channels and external blogs indicates an active engagement strategy. No direct revenue streams or commercial activities are evident on the site, consistent with its non-profit nature.

Security posture

The website employs HTTPS and uses security best practices such as avoiding inline unsafe scripts and protecting sensitive data. However, it lacks explicit security policy documentation and incident response contacts, which are important for transparency and trust. The use of third-party analytics (Etracker) is noted, with moderate user tracking levels and privacy compliance. No vulnerabilities or outdated libraries were detected in the provided content. Recommendations include adding security headers like Content-Security-Policy and publishing a security policy and incident response information to enhance trust and preparedness.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Add a security.txt file or vulnerability disclosure policy to facilitate responsible reporting.
  3. Implement additional security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, and Referrer-Policy.
  4. Provide explicit contact channels for incident response or abuse reporting.
  5. Continue regular security audits and update third-party scripts to mitigate potential risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Description
Mit ihren Projekten, Studien und Veranstaltungen regt die Bertelsmann Stiftung Debatten an und gibt Impulse für gesellschaftliche Veränderungen. Gemeinnützige Arbeit und nachhaltige Wirkung sind die Grundlagen ihres Handelns. Die Initiativen der Stiftung zeigen nicht nur Lösungen auf, sondern schaffen empirisch gestützte Orientierung in einer breiten Öffentlichkeit.
Key services
Research projects, Publications, Events and debates, Policy recommendations
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
TYPO3 CMS, JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, LazySizes (lazy loading images), Swiper (slider library), Etracker (analytics)
Frameworks
TYPO3 CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No visible sensitive data
  • Use of secure cookies (implied)
  • No inline scripts with eval or unsafe code detected

Analytics and tracking

Services
Etracker
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Etracker
Marketing tools
Etracker
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and well maintained.
  2. Content is comprehensive and targeted at societal and policy audiences.
  3. Strong presence of social media and external publications.
  4. Use of modern web technologies and CMS TYPO3.
  5. Good privacy and cookie policy presence with consent mechanisms.
  6. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity.
  7. No explicit security policy or incident response information publicly available.
  8. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt found.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is powered by TYPO3 CMS, a robust and widely used content management system. It uses modern JavaScript libraries such as Swiper for sliders and LazySizes for image lazy loading, enhancing performance and user experience. The site includes responsive design elements and accessibility features, contributing to good mobile optimization and usability. Analytics are handled via Etracker, indicating moderate tracking. The site loads CSS and JS assets from a dedicated subdomain, suggesting a well-organized hosting environment. Performance is moderate, with room for optimization in loading times and resource management.
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. 52/100Medium35 findingsView report
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