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Security report for dandad.org

D&AD · Media · United Kingdom

Low risk. 2 critical or high findings in Security headers and SSL/TLS.

Security score

79/100

Risk levelLow

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

D&AD is a well-established non-profit organization dedicated to stimulating, enabling, and celebrating creative excellence in design and commercial creativity. The website serves as a comprehensive platform for their awards programs, educational courses, creative community engagement, and industry insights. The organization targets creative professionals, agencies, and students globally, positioning itself as a leader in the creative media sector. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including JavaScript modules, CSS, and integrates marketing and analytics platforms such as HubSpot and Google Analytics. The site is mobile-optimized and provides a professional user experience with clear navigation and rich multimedia content. Security-wise, the website enforces HTTPS, uses cookie consent mechanisms, and loads scripts from reputable sources, indicating a good security posture. However, the absence of explicit privacy policy and contact information for security or incident response are areas for improvement. Overall, the website is trustworthy and professionally maintained, with privacy protection applied to WHOIS data, which is typical for organizations of this nature.

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

2 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 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. 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

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

Keep watching dandad.org

This scan found 20 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.

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Recommended

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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
77
Security headers
60
Email security
80
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
88
Average
79

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

D&AD operates in the media sector focusing on creative awards and education. Its business model revolves around promoting creative excellence through prestigious awards, masterclasses, and community programs. The organization likely generates revenue from course fees, event participation, and merchandise sales such as their iconic pencils. The target customers include creative professionals, agencies, and students seeking recognition and skill development. The website reflects a mature digital presence with integration of marketing and analytics tools, indicating a strategic approach to audience engagement and growth. Partnerships with platforms like HubSpot suggest a robust marketing ecosystem. The lack of visible contact details may indicate a preference for controlled communication channels or privacy considerations.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid security posture with HTTPS enforced and multiple security headers likely in place. The use of Cookiebot for consent management aligns with GDPR compliance efforts. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. However, the absence of a published security policy, incident response contacts, or vulnerability disclosure mechanisms limits transparency and readiness perception. The integration of third-party scripts necessitates ongoing security audits to mitigate supply chain risks. Overall, the site is secure for general users but could enhance trust by publishing explicit security and privacy documentation.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a comprehensive privacy policy and terms of service accessible from the homepage.
  2. Add clear contact information including security and incident response contacts.
  3. Implement and publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file.
  4. Regularly audit third-party scripts and dependencies for vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance accessibility features to meet or exceed WCAG standards.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
D&AD
Description
We stimulate, enable & celebrate creative excellence in design and commercial creativity.
Key services
Creative awards (D&AD Awards, New Blood Awards), Educational courses and masterclasses, Creative community engagement, Insights and industry features, Events and festivals
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, Google Tag Manager, HubSpot, Cookiebot
Frameworks
Swiper.js (carousel functionality)
Platforms
HubSpot (marketing and analytics), Cookiebot (cookie consent management)
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent mechanism implemented
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of modern JavaScript modules

Analytics and tracking

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

Advertising

Ad networks
HubSpot Ads
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel
Marketing tools
HubSpot, Cookiebot
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 multimedia
  2. Strong focus on creative industry awards and education
  3. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on homepage or main navigation
  4. Cookie consent implemented via Cookiebot with TCFv2.2 framework
  5. Multiple external marketing and analytics scripts loaded from reputable domains
  6. No explicit privacy policy or terms of service links found in provided HTML snippet
  7. WHOIS data is unavailable or privacy protected, typical for organizations valuing privacy
  8. No signs of malware, phishing, or suspicious content
  9. Website uses modern web technologies and responsive design
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern tech stack with JavaScript modules, CSS, and HTML5. It integrates marketing and analytics tools such as HubSpot and Google Tag Manager, and employs Cookiebot for cookie consent management. The site is responsive and optimized for mobile devices, providing a good user experience. Performance appears moderate, with multimedia content such as videos and carousels. No CMS was explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or proprietary content management system. Hosting provider details are not evident from the HTML. The technical implementation supports the organization's business goals effectively but could benefit from enhanced SEO metadata and structured data for improved search visibility.
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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