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Security report for citycabs.co.uk

City Cabs (Edinburgh) Ltd · Transportation · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in Network security, SSL/TLS and 1 other check.

Security score

51/100

Risk levelMedium

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

City Cabs (Edinburgh) Ltd is a well-established transportation service provider specializing in licensed black cab taxi services in Edinburgh and over 50 UK cities. Founded in 1925, the company leverages a proprietary app to facilitate instant booking, live driver tracking, and secure payments, serving over 110,000 app users and completing more than 1.5 million journeys annually. The business maintains a strong local presence with a focus on professionalism, licensing compliance, and customer trust, supported by positive testimonials and a clear brand identity. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using modern frameworks such as Bootstrap and WPBakery Page Builder, with integrated SEO and analytics tools including Yoast SEO, Google Analytics, and Facebook Pixel. The site is mobile-optimized, performant, and well-structured, providing a seamless user experience. However, some security best practices like explicit security headers and incident response information are not present. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and avoids exposing sensitive data, but lacks published security policies or vulnerability disclosure mechanisms. The WHOIS data for the domain is unavailable due to a Nominet UK registration error, which raises questions about domain registration transparency but does not detract from the apparent legitimacy of the business based on website content and branding. Overall, City Cabs presents a professional and trustworthy online presence with room for improvement in security transparency and WHOIS clarity. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing incident response contacts, and clarifying domain registration details to bolster trust and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
88/ 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.

    • 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

  3. 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';…

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Keep watching citycabs.co.uk

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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
47
Security headers
15
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
88
Average
51

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

City Cabs holds a strong market position as Edinburgh's licensed black cab provider with a century-long heritage. Its competitive advantage lies in its proprietary app technology, extensive driver licensing, and local knowledge. The business model focuses on direct consumer taxi services, business accounts, and specialized offerings like wedding taxis and tours. Revenue streams likely include ride fares, business contracts, and app-based transactions. The target customer segments include local residents, business travelers, tourists, and event clients. Growth indicators include a large app user base and expansion to 50+ UK cities. The partnership with booker.cab9.app for online booking indicates a collaborative ecosystem. Operationally, the company emphasizes reliability, professionalism, and investment in sustainable transport solutions.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and no visible exposure of sensitive data. Use of third-party analytics and marketing scripts is standard but requires ongoing monitoring for vulnerabilities. Absence of security headers and incident response information suggests gaps in defense-in-depth and transparency. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt files were found, limiting external reporting channels. GDPR compliance is supported by a comprehensive privacy policy and cookie consent mechanism. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be enhanced by adopting additional security headers, publishing security policies, and establishing formal incident response contacts.

Recommendations

  1. Implement HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to mitigate common web attacks.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page including contact details for reporting security issues.
  3. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and plugins to minimize vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance website accessibility features to meet WCAG standards for broader compliance.
  5. Clarify domain registration details and WHOIS information to improve transparency and trust.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
City Cabs (Edinburgh) Ltd
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
City Cabs (Edinburgh) Ltd
Description
Edinburgh's officially licensed Black Cab service since 1925. Join over 100,000 app users and book your taxi instantly with the City Cabs App.
Key services
Licensed black cab taxi rides, Airport transfers, Business accounts, Wedding taxis, Taxi tours, App-based booking and live tracking
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, WPBakery Page Builder, Yoast SEO Premium, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Bootstrap, jQuery, Slick Carousel
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of secure app payment methods

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel
Marketing tools
Yoast SEO
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking detected.
  2. Strong branding and consistent professional presentation.
  3. Multiple social media and app store links indicate active digital presence.
  4. No contact email addresses explicitly found in HTML content.
  5. Phone number +44 131 228 1211 is prominently displayed as main contact.
  6. No forms detected on homepage; booking is via app or external booking platform.
  7. Cookie consent banner present and functional.
  8. No explicit security policy or incident response contact found.
  9. Use of multiple third-party analytics and marketing scripts.
  10. No suspicious or malicious content detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform with WPBakery Page Builder and Bootstrap framework, ensuring responsive design and ease of content management. SEO is enhanced via Yoast SEO Premium, and user behavior is tracked through Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel. The site loads moderate speed with optimized images and scripts. However, no explicit hosting provider information was found. The technical stack is modern and well-integrated but could benefit from improved security headers and accessibility compliance. The absence of forms on the homepage reduces attack surface but also limits direct data collection. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports a professional and user-friendly experience with opportunities for security and compliance enhancements.
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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