Skip to main content

Security report for culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk

Cultural Enterprise Office · Other · United Kingdom

High risk. 7 critical or high findings in Network security, Security headers and 2 other checks.

Security score

47/100

Risk levelHigh

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

Cultural Enterprise Office is a specialized organization dedicated to supporting creative businesses and freelancers throughout Scotland. The website offers tailored business development programmes such as Design Your Practice, Fashion Foundry, and Flourish, alongside a comprehensive resource library and mentoring services. The organization positions itself as a key enabler for creative sector growth within the Scottish market, targeting small creative enterprises and freelancers. The business is relatively young, founded in 2022, and operates under the parent entity Cultural Enterprise Scotland. Technically, the website employs a moderately modern tech stack including Bootstrap, jQuery, Font Awesome, and Google Tag Manager, hosted by Fasthosts Internet Ltd. The site is mobile-optimized with good navigation and content structure, though some outdated libraries like jQuery 1.11.0 present potential security risks. SEO and accessibility are basic but functional. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS and Google Tag Manager for analytics but lacks explicit security headers and advanced security policies. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure mechanisms are publicly available. Privacy and cookie policies exist but lack active consent mechanisms, indicating partial GDPR compliance. The domain WHOIS data is consistent and legitimate, supporting the business claims. Overall, the website is professional and trustworthy with good business credibility but could improve its security posture and privacy compliance to enhance user trust and regulatory adherence.

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

7 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

  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 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';…

  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

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

Keep watching culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk

This scan found 28 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.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

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
62
Security headers
15
Email security
85
DNS health
50
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
68
Average
47

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 Cultural Enterprise Office operates as an important entity within the creative business support sector in Scotland. Its competitive advantage lies in specialized programmes tailored to different stages of creative business development, supported by mentoring and a rich resource library. The business model focuses on non-profit or support services rather than direct commercial sales. Revenue streams likely include grants, sponsorships, and partnerships. The target customer segment is creative freelancers and small businesses in Scotland seeking business development support. The organization maintains a strong partnership ecosystem, notably with its parent company Cultural Enterprise Scotland, and leverages social media for outreach. Growth indicators include active programme offerings and event listings. Strategic observations suggest opportunities to expand digital engagement and enhance compliance frameworks.

Security posture

The current security maturity level of the website is moderate. The use of HTTPS and absence of exposed sensitive data are positive indicators. However, the presence of outdated JavaScript libraries (jQuery 1.11.0) introduces potential vulnerabilities. The lack of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options reduces protection against common web attacks. No public incident response or vulnerability disclosure policies are available, which limits transparency and preparedness. GDPR compliance is partial, with privacy and cookie policies present but no active consent mechanism. The security culture appears basic, with room for improvement in formalizing security practices and enhancing user data protection.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  2. Upgrade all JavaScript libraries, especially jQuery, to supported secure versions to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
  3. Introduce an explicit cookie consent mechanism to comply fully with GDPR requirements.
  4. Publish a clear security policy and incident response plan accessible to users and stakeholders.
  5. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and remediate vulnerabilities proactively.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Cultural Enterprise Office
Registration number
SC357635
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Cultural Enterprise Office
Description
Cultural Enterprise Office supports creative businesses throughout Scotland by providing tailored business development programmes, resources, mentoring, and advice.
Key services
Business development programmes (Design Your Practice, Fashion Foundry, Flourish), Resource library, Mentoring and advice, Events and networking, Support directory
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 1.11.0, Bootstrap 3.x, Font Awesome 4.4.0, Modernizr, Google Tag Manager, Typekit fonts, Flexslider
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
60/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of HTTPS (implied by domain and GTM script)
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Google Tag Manager for analytics

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Marketing tools
Typekit fonts
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenges.
  2. Content is well structured with clear navigation and relevant business information.
  3. Multiple social media channels are linked and active.
  4. No explicit privacy or security policies beyond basic privacy and cookie pages.
  5. No visible security headers or advanced security policies implemented.
  6. Use of some outdated JavaScript libraries may pose security risks.
  7. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure information found.
  8. Business appears legitimate and focused on supporting creative enterprises in Scotland.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a foundation of Bootstrap and jQuery with additional libraries such as Font Awesome and Modernizr enhancing UI and compatibility. Google Tag Manager is used for analytics and tracking. Hosting is provided by Fasthosts Internet Ltd, a reputable UK hosting provider. Performance is moderate, with responsive design ensuring usability across devices. However, the use of an outdated jQuery version (1.11.0) is a technical debt and security risk. SEO is basic with standard meta tags and Open Graph data but lacks advanced structured data like JSON-LD. Accessibility features are minimal but present. Opportunities exist to modernize the tech stack, improve performance optimization, and enhance SEO and accessibility compliance.
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

Reviews of this site

Share your experience with culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.