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Security report for contabo.com

Contabo · Technology · Germany

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

69/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Contabo GmbH is a Germany-based cloud and dedicated server hosting provider established in 2003, offering affordable VPS and bare metal servers across multiple global regions. The company positions itself as a cost-effective hosting solution with a strong uptime record and award-winning customer support. The website reflects a mature digital presence with good content quality and consistent branding. Technically, the site employs modern JavaScript libraries and tracking tools, including Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight, and Bing Ads, supported by a cookie consent mechanism. Security posture is adequate with HTTPS enabled and domain transfer protection, though DNSSEC is not enabled and security headers are not evident in the provided data. The WHOIS data aligns well with the business claims, indicating legitimacy and stable domain ownership. However, the absence of explicit privacy and terms of service policies in the analyzed content suggests room for improvement in privacy compliance. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and serves its target audience effectively.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
58/ 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

5 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 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

    • 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

  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 contabo.com

This scan found 22 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
75
Security headers
25
Email security
75
DNS health
80
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
58
Average
69

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

Contabo operates in the technology sector, focusing on cloud infrastructure and dedicated hosting services. Its competitive advantage lies in offering high-performance VPS and dedicated servers at affordable prices, supported by multiple data center locations worldwide. The business model centers on direct hosting services to businesses and individuals requiring scalable and reliable server solutions. The company demonstrates growth potential through its global footprint and uptime guarantees. The marketing ecosystem includes partnerships with major ad networks and tracking platforms, enhancing customer acquisition and retention. Strategic observations highlight the need for enhanced privacy and security disclosures to align with evolving regulatory requirements and customer expectations.

Security posture

The security maturity of Contabo's website is moderate. HTTPS is properly implemented, and domain registration includes clientTransferProhibited status, reducing risk of unauthorized transfers. However, the lack of DNSSEC implementation and absence of visible security headers such as Content-Security-Policy or Strict-Transport-Security represent gaps that could be exploited. No explicit incident response or security policy information is available, which may impact transparency and readiness perception. The use of multiple third-party tracking scripts necessitates robust consent management, which is partially addressed via CookieFirst. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the provided content. To enhance security posture, Contabo should implement DNSSEC, publish security policies, and add recommended HTTP security headers.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC on the domain to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.
  2. Publish a comprehensive privacy policy and terms of service to improve compliance and user trust.
  3. Implement HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  4. Develop and disclose an incident response policy and contact channels for security issues.
  5. Regularly audit third-party scripts and tracking tools to ensure privacy compliance and minimize risk.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Contabo GmbH
VAT number
DE267602842
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Contabo
Description
Worldwide Cloud & Dedicated Server Hosting
Key services
Cloud VPS, Dedicated Servers, Bare Metal Servers
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, Google Tag Manager, Cloudflare DNS, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Bing Ads, CookieFirst Consent Management, Varify.io
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • clientTransferProhibited domain status

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager), LinkedIn Insight Tag, Bing Ads
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
Bing Ads
Tracking pixels
LinkedIn Insight Tag, Bing Ads
Marketing tools
CookieFirst Consent Management, Varify.io
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and content-rich
  2. Clear business focus on affordable cloud and dedicated server hosting
  3. Multiple global locations and uptime claims enhance trust
  4. Use of multiple tracking and marketing scripts with consent mechanism
  5. No explicit privacy policy or terms of service found in the provided content
  6. WHOIS data supports legitimacy and consistency with business claims
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern JavaScript-based front end with asynchronous loading of analytics and marketing scripts, including Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight, and Bing Ads. DNS is managed via Cloudflare name servers, though DNSSEC is not enabled. The hosting infrastructure appears to be managed by Contabo itself, consistent with its business offerings. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO meta tags present. Accessibility features are basic but functional. The site lacks a detectable CMS, suggesting a custom or static site architecture. Technical risks include missing DNSSEC and security headers, which should be addressed to reduce attack surface and improve trustworthiness.
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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