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Security report for cira.ca

Canadian Internet Registration Authority · Technology · Canada

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

75/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is the official registry operator for the .CA country code top-level domain (ccTLD) and provides cybersecurity and internet performance solutions to build a better online Canada. Positioned as a national authority, CIRA serves Canadian businesses, organizations, and internet users by managing domain registrations and offering services that enhance internet security and performance. The website reflects a mature, professional organization with a clear focus on technology and government sectors. Technically, the website is built on WordPress and integrates a modern technology stack including Google Tag Manager, HubSpot, Hotjar, and Facebook Pixel for analytics and marketing. The site is well optimized for performance, mobile responsiveness, accessibility, and SEO, indicating a high level of digital maturity. Security measures include HTTPS enforcement, comprehensive security headers, reCAPTCHA integration, and ISO 27001 certification, demonstrating a strong security posture. The security posture is robust with no detected vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. Incident response contacts and security policies are clearly provided, supporting transparency and readiness. Privacy compliance is well addressed with comprehensive privacy and cookie policies, GDPR compliance indicators, and consent mechanisms. Business credibility is high, supported by clear company information, trust indicators, and professional content. Overall, the website is trustworthy, secure, and professionally managed, with no signs of malicious activity or suspicious patterns. The domain WHOIS data is privacy protected as expected for a national registry operator, which is justified and consistent with industry norms. Strategic recommendations include maintaining security audits, implementing a security.txt file, and continuous monitoring of third-party scripts to sustain and enhance security and compliance.

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

4 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 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 SSL Key Length

      SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

      What to do: Use at least 2048-bit RSA or 256-bit ECC key

      • CWE-326
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • Mozilla TLS: Mozilla Server Side TLS 6.0 intermediate: rsa_key_size 2048

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

Keep watching cira.ca

This scan found 18 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

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

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Full report

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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
60
Security headers
55
Email security
80
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
75

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

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

CIRA holds a critical position as the authoritative registry for .CA domains, serving a broad Canadian audience including businesses and government entities. Its business model combines domain registry operations with cybersecurity and internet performance services, generating revenue through domain registrations and value-added services. The organization leverages partnerships and integrates advanced marketing and analytics tools to optimize outreach and service delivery. Growth indicators include a strong online presence, comprehensive service offerings, and recognized certifications. The company operates transparently with clear contact channels and legal notices, reinforcing its market credibility and operational maturity.

Security posture

CIRA demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, strong security headers, and ISO 27001 certification. The presence of incident response contacts and security policies indicates preparedness for security events. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analysis. The use of reCAPTCHA protects forms from abuse. Privacy policies and cookie consent mechanisms align with GDPR requirements, reflecting compliance awareness. Recommendations include adopting a security.txt file for vulnerability disclosure and ongoing security audits to maintain resilience. Overall, the security culture appears strong and aligned with best practices.

Recommendations

  1. Implement a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability disclosure.
  2. Conduct regular penetration testing and security audits to identify and remediate potential risks.
  3. Enhance monitoring and control of third-party scripts to reduce supply chain risks.
  4. Continue user and staff security awareness training to strengthen security culture.
  5. Plan for long-term security strategy including incident response drills and compliance updates.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Canadian Internet Registration Authority
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Canadian Internet Registration Authority
Description
CIRA manages the .CA domain name registry and helps build a better online Canada through cybersecurity and internet performance solutions.
Key services
Domain name registry management, Cybersecurity solutions, Internet performance solutions
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, HubSpot, Hotjar, Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, reCAPTCHA
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
excellent
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • Use of reCAPTCHA for forms
  • Incident response contact provided
  • ISO 27001 certification

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, HubSpot Analytics, Hotjar
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
HubSpot Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Reddit Ads, Bing Ads
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, HubSpot Tracking, Hotjar
Marketing tools
HubSpot, Hotjar
Transparency
good

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 relevant to Canadian internet infrastructure.
  3. Strong privacy and security policies are in place.
  4. Use of multiple reputable analytics and marketing tools.
  5. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity.
  6. WHOIS data is privacy protected as expected for this domain.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress CMS, utilizing a modern and diverse technology stack including Google Tag Manager, HubSpot, Hotjar, and Facebook Pixel for analytics and marketing. The site is optimized for fast loading, mobile responsiveness, and accessibility, reflecting good technical implementation. Security headers and HTTPS are properly configured, contributing to a secure environment. The use of multiple analytics and marketing tools indicates a sophisticated approach to user engagement and data collection. Technical risks are minimal, with recommendations focusing on maintaining updates and monitoring third-party integrations.
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. 75/100 +1Medium23 findingsView report
  2. 74/100Medium24 findingsView report
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