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Security report for businessclimatehub.uk

UK Business Climate Hub · Government · United Kingdom

High risk. 5 critical or high findings in Network security, Security headers and 2 other checks.

Security score

49/100

Risk levelHigh

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

The UK Business Climate Hub is a government-backed platform dedicated to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK with energy saving and achieving net zero carbon emissions. It serves as the UK partner of the global SME Climate Hub initiative, providing comprehensive guidance, sector-specific plans, finance and support information, and access to events and thought leadership. The website is well-structured, professionally designed, and optimized for mobile devices, reflecting a mature digital presence. Technically, it leverages WordPress with modern JavaScript libraries and integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools while maintaining strong privacy and cookie consent mechanisms. Security posture is robust with HTTPS, secure forms, and no visible vulnerabilities, although explicit security policies and incident response information are not present. Overall, the site demonstrates high trustworthiness and credibility, supported by government endorsements and partnerships.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 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

5 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Network security

    Services reachable from the internet are the first thing attackers probe. Anything open that does not need to be should be closed.

    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: MySQL

      Port 3306 (MySQL) is publicly accessible - MySQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to MySQL using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection
    • High

      High-Risk Service Exposed: FTP

      Port 21 (FTP) is publicly accessible - FTP - Often unencrypted file transfer

      What to do: Consider restricting access to FTP or implementing strong authentication

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection

  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. 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

  4. 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 businessclimatehub.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

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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
Security headers
55
Email security
85
DNS health
60
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
80
Average
60
After the cap
49

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 · found on this site
  • 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 platform positions itself as an essential resource for UK SMEs aiming to reduce their environmental impact and costs through sustainable practices. Its business model focuses on providing free, authoritative content and tools, supported by government and industry partnerships. The site features extensive sector and theme-based content, reflecting a deep understanding of diverse business needs. Its partnership ecosystem includes major UK business organizations and financial institutions, enhancing its market credibility. The absence of direct contact emails or phone numbers suggests a controlled communication channel primarily via web forms, aligning with its informational and support role. The site’s content quality and branding consistency reinforce its position as a trusted government-backed initiative.

Security posture

The website employs HTTPS with strong SSL configuration and implements essential security headers such as cache control. It uses a consent management platform to comply with GDPR and other privacy regulations. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. Forms are secured with validation and anti-spam measures. However, the site lacks publicly available security policies or incident response contacts, which could be improved to enhance transparency and readiness. Overall, the security posture is strong for an informational government site, with no critical vulnerabilities identified.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to improve transparency and user trust.
  2. Implement a vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting.
  3. Consider adding Data Protection Officer contact information to comply with GDPR best practices.
  4. Regularly review and update third-party scripts and plugins to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance HTTP security headers by adding Content Security Policy (CSP) and HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS).
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
UK Business Climate Hub
Description
The UK Business Climate Hub is a collaboration between the UK Government, businesses and business groups across the UK. The Hub is the UK partner of the SME Climate Hub, a global initiative empowering small and medium-sized enterprises to take climate action.
Key services
Energy saving advice, Net zero guidance, Finance and support information, Sector-specific sustainability plans, Events and webinars, Case studies and thought leadership
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 6.8.1, PHP, jQuery, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics (gtag.js), Facebook Pixel, Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar
Frameworks
WPBakery Page Builder, Ultimate Social Media Icons, Contact Form 7, Complianz GDPR, Eventbrite Events Import, Jetpack
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of consent management platform for cookies
  • Secure forms with validation
  • No visible vulnerable libraries

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar, MonsterInsights
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar
Marketing tools
MonsterInsights, Complianz GDPR, Brave Popup Builder
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a UK government-backed resource for SMEs on climate action
  2. Comprehensive content with clear navigation and sector-specific guidance
  3. Strong use of structured data and SEO best practices
  4. Multiple social media channels active and linked
  5. Robust privacy and cookie consent mechanisms implemented
  6. No critical security issues or vulnerabilities detected
  7. Use of modern web technologies and performance optimizations
  8. No direct contact emails or phone numbers publicly listed; contact via forms
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress 6.8.1 using PHP and employs a range of modern JavaScript libraries including GSAP, Flickity, Swiper, and others for enhanced user experience. It uses WPBakery Page Builder for layout management and integrates multiple plugins for social media, analytics, cookie consent, and event management. The site is optimized for performance with LiteSpeed caching and demonstrates fast loading times. Mobile responsiveness and accessibility are well addressed. SEO is enhanced through proper meta tags, Open Graph, and structured JSON-LD data. The technical infrastructure reflects a mature, well-maintained digital platform suitable for a government-backed initiative.
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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