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Security report for certes.co.uk

Certes IT Service Solutions Ltd · Government · United Kingdom

High risk. 3 critical or high findings in Network security and SSL/TLS.

Security score

49/100

Risk levelHigh

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

Certes IT Service Solutions Ltd is a UK-based IT service provider specializing in security solutions and managed IT services primarily for government agencies and federal organizations. With a domain age dating back to 1996 and claims of 40 years of IT expertise, the company positions itself as a trusted partner in mission-critical IT and digital transformation for the public sector. Their key offerings include IT Managed Services, Cyber Security as a Service, Information Assurance, and IT recruitment services. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand image with good content quality and clear navigation. Technically, the website is built on WordPress 7.0, leveraging modern JavaScript libraries such as jQuery and integrating marketing and analytics tools like HubSpot and Google Analytics. The site uses HTTPS with strong SSL configuration and implements cookie consent mechanisms compliant with GDPR. However, accessibility features are basic, and performance is moderate, indicating room for optimization. From a security perspective, the site demonstrates good practices such as HTTPS enforcement, use of reCAPTCHA, and cookie consent with blocking. However, it lacks published security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms, which are important for transparency and trust in the cybersecurity domain. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Overall, Certes.co.uk presents a credible and professional online presence suitable for its target audience in government and public sectors. To enhance compliance and security posture, the company should publish privacy and security policies, incident response information, and consider adding a vulnerability disclosure page. These steps will improve trust and regulatory adherence while maintaining their strong market position.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
100/ 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

3 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. 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

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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
90
Email security
55
DNS health
65
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
100
Average
64
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

Certes IT Service Solutions operates in the government IT services sector, focusing on security and managed services. Their business model revolves around providing specialized IT solutions and recruitment services to public sector clients. The company leverages a multi-channel marketing approach with social media presence and HubSpot integration, indicating a mature digital marketing strategy. The long domain age and consistent branding suggest stability and reliability. Growth indicators include a broad service portfolio and active content updates via blogs and webinars. No direct parent or subsidiary companies were identified, implying an independent operation. The company’s partnership ecosystem is not explicitly detailed on the site, but external integrations with HubSpot and Google Analytics indicate collaboration with leading technology providers.

Security posture

The website’s security maturity is moderate to good. HTTPS is properly implemented with no indication of SSL issues. Security best practices observed include the use of Google reCAPTCHA on forms and a cookie consent banner with blocking capabilities, supporting GDPR compliance. However, the absence of published security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms represents gaps in transparency and preparedness. No security headers were detected in the provided data, which could be improved to enhance protection against common web attacks. No vulnerable libraries or exposed sensitive data were found. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a public-facing corporate site but could be strengthened by publishing formal policies and improving HTTP security headers.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a comprehensive privacy policy clearly accessible from the homepage and footer.
  2. Add terms of service and a dedicated security policy page to improve transparency and compliance.
  3. Implement and publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Include incident response contact information such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  5. Enhance HTTP security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Certes IT Service Solutions Ltd
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Certes IT Service Solutions Ltd
Description
Certes IT Service Solutions provides security solutions for high performance networks for government agencies and federal organizations.
Key services
IT Managed Services, Information Assurance as a Service, Cyber Security as a Service, Digital Engineering Service, IT Recruitment Services
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 7.0, jQuery 3.7.1, Google Analytics, HubSpot scripts, Cookie Law Info plugin, WP Mega Menu, Contact Form 7, Mailjet for WordPress
Frameworks
Yoast SEO Premium
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA
  • Cookie consent banner with blocking
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, HubSpot Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Tracking pixels
HubSpot, LinkedIn Insight
Marketing tools
HubSpot, Mailjet
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional IT service provider focused on government and public sector
  2. No privacy policy or terms of service found, which is a compliance gap
  3. Cookie consent mechanism is implemented with blocking
  4. Multiple social media profiles linked (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter)
  5. Use of modern marketing and analytics tools (HubSpot, Google Analytics)
  6. No visible security policy or incident response information
  7. Website uses WordPress CMS with several plugins
  8. No suspicious or malicious content detected
  9. Good SSL/TLS configuration and HTTPS usage
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern WordPress 7.0 platform with a well-structured theme and multiple plugins for SEO (Yoast SEO Premium), forms (Contact Form 7), marketing (HubSpot, Mailjet), and navigation (WP Mega Menu). The site loads multiple external scripts asynchronously, including analytics and tracking pixels, which may impact performance but are standard for marketing-driven sites. Mobile optimization is good with responsive design and adaptive images. Accessibility is basic and could be improved with ARIA roles and better keyboard navigation support. The site uses Google Fonts and optimized images with lazy loading. Hosting is via a UK registrar (123-Reg Limited), but no direct hosting provider was identified. Performance is moderate, suggesting potential for optimization in script loading and caching strategies.
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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