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Security report for bne.nrw

Education · Germany

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 2 other checks.

Security score

53/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The website www.bne.nrw serves as the official state portal for Education for Sustainable Development (BNE) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It provides comprehensive information, news, events, and resources related to sustainable education initiatives supported by the NRW state government. The portal targets educational institutions, sustainability actors, and the general public interested in sustainable development. It is positioned as a trusted government-backed platform facilitating engagement and knowledge sharing in the sustainability education sector. Technically, the site is built on TYPO3 CMS, a robust open-source content management system, and integrates Matomo for privacy-conscious analytics. The site demonstrates good mobile responsiveness, accessibility, and SEO practices. Cookie consent mechanisms are implemented to comply with privacy regulations. However, no explicit security headers were detected in the HTML source, suggesting room for improvement in security hardening. From a security perspective, the site shows a moderate security posture with no visible vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The WHOIS data is privacy protected or unavailable, which is common and justified for this type of government-related portal. The site lacks explicit security policies or incident response contacts, which could be enhanced to improve transparency and readiness. Overall, the website is a well-maintained, professional, and trustworthy portal with strong business credibility and good privacy compliance. Strategic recommendations include implementing security headers, publishing a security policy, and providing explicit security contact information to further strengthen the security posture and user trust.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 100 · Medium
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

6 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 Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1
    • High

      Missing X-Frame-Options header

      Prevents clickjacking attacks

      What to do: Add "X-Frame-Options: DENY" or "X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN"

    • 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 Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

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

  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 bne.nrw

This scan found 26 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

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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
72
Security headers
25
Email security
70
DNS health
60
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
68
Average
53

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

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 bne.nrw, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

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

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 portal operates as an important government-supported educational platform focused on sustainable development in NRW. Its competitive advantage lies in official backing by the Landesregierung Nordrhein-Westfalen and its comprehensive coverage of BNE topics, events, and community engagement. The business model is informational and community-driven rather than commercial, relying on public funding and partnerships. The target customer segments include educators, sustainability practitioners, students, and citizens interested in sustainable development. Growth indicators include active content updates, event listings, and social media engagement. The partnership ecosystem includes related NRW government initiatives and educational networks. Strategic observations highlight the portal's role as a central hub for BNE in the region, with potential to expand digital engagement and security transparency.

Security posture

The website exhibits a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS enabled and cookie consent implemented. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were identified in the HTML content. However, the absence of HTTP security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP), Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), and X-Frame-Options indicates potential gaps in defense-in-depth. The lack of published security policies or incident response contacts limits transparency and user confidence in handling security incidents. Compliance with GDPR is evident through privacy policy and cookie consent mechanisms. To enhance security posture, the organization should implement recommended HTTP headers, establish a clear security policy, and provide dedicated security contact channels. These measures will improve incident response readiness and overall security culture.

Recommendations

  1. Implement HTTP security headers including CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options to strengthen browser security.
  2. Publish a formal security policy and incident response procedure accessible on the website.
  3. Add explicit security and abuse contact emails to facilitate reporting and response.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and dependencies to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance transparency by providing data retention policies and detailed privacy compliance information.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Description
Das Landesportal über und für Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Die Website informiert über Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (BNE) in NRW, bietet Neuigkeiten, Veranstaltungen, Social Media Integration, und Mitmachmöglichkeiten. Ziel ist es, nachhaltige Entwicklung durch Bildung zu fördern und Akteure zu vernetzen.
Key services
Informationen zu BNE-Strategie und Maßnahmen in NRW, Veranstaltungsankündigungen, Neuigkeiten und Publikationen, Mitmach-Portal für Akteure, Digitale Werkstatt und Podcast
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
TYPO3 CMS, Matomo Analytics, Bootstrap (implied by classes and nav structure), JavaScript
Frameworks
TYPO3 CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
70/100
Good practices seen
  • Cookie consent mechanism implemented
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No visible vulnerable libraries

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Matomo Analytics
Transparency
good

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 navigation.
  2. Uses TYPO3 CMS, a mature open-source CMS.
  3. Implements cookie consent with clear user options.
  4. No exposed emails or phone numbers directly on homepage; contact via form.
  5. Social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube with official channels.
  6. No visible security headers detected in HTML source; recommend audit.
  7. WHOIS data is privacy protected or unavailable, typical for many domains.
  8. No signs of adult or questionable content; content is educational and government-related.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is powered by TYPO3 CMS, a mature and flexible open-source content management system widely used in government and education sectors. The integration of Matomo analytics reflects a privacy-conscious approach to user tracking. The site uses modern responsive design techniques and accessibility features, ensuring good usability across devices and for users with disabilities. Performance is moderate with compressed CSS and JavaScript assets. No hosting provider details were identified from the HTML content. The technical stack is solid but could benefit from enhanced security configurations such as HTTP headers and security policy disclosures. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports the portal's mission effectively with opportunities for security and performance optimizations.
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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