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Security report for davidhardawaylaw.com

The Law Offices of David C. Hardaway · Other · United States

High risk. 8 critical or high findings in Network security, Security headers and 2 other checks.

Security score

48/100

Risk levelHigh

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

The Law Offices of David C. Hardaway is a specialized criminal defense law firm based in San Marcos, Texas, serving clients primarily in Hays County and surrounding Central Texas areas. The firm offers comprehensive legal defense services including DWI, drug crimes, violent crimes, and other serious criminal charges. The website is professionally designed with rich content, detailed FAQs, attorney profiles, case results, and client testimonials, positioning the firm as a reputable and trusted legal service provider in the region. The firm holds multiple industry recognitions and certifications, enhancing its market credibility. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern JavaScript libraries such as jQuery and Swiper.js, and uses Google Fonts and Google Tag Manager for analytics and tracking. The site employs HTTPS with good SSL configuration and includes spam protection via Google reCAPTCHA on its contact form. However, it lacks visible security headers and cookie consent mechanisms, which are recommended for improved security and privacy compliance. From a security perspective, the site shows good practices like HTTPS enforcement and no exposed sensitive data, but the absence of WHOIS data for the domain raises concerns about domain registration legitimacy. Despite this, the website content and structure strongly indicate a legitimate business operation. Overall, the site scores well on content quality, business credibility, and technical implementation but should address privacy compliance and security header improvements. Strategically, the firm should verify domain registration details, implement comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms, and enhance security headers to strengthen trust and compliance. These improvements will support the firm's professional image and reduce potential risks related to privacy and security.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
53/ 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

8 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 Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

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

Keep watching davidhardawaylaw.com

This scan found 27 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
72
Security headers
15
Email security
70
DNS health
75
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
53
Average
48

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 firm operates in a competitive legal services market focused on criminal defense in Central Texas. It leverages a client-centric business model emphasizing direct communication, personal commitment, and innovative legal strategies. The firm’s multiple awards and peer recognitions position it as a market leader locally. Revenue streams likely derive from client retainers and case fees. The target customer segment includes individuals facing criminal charges in Hays County and neighboring counties. The firm maintains a strong digital presence with integrated social media and marketing partnerships, notably with MileMark Legal Marketing. Growth indicators include consistent content updates, client testimonials, and expanded service areas. The firm’s strategic focus on local legal community relationships and knowledge of local courts provides a competitive advantage.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a moderate to good security posture with HTTPS enforced and use of Google reCAPTCHA to protect forms from spam. No sensitive data is exposed in the HTML source. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security reduces the overall security robustness. There is no published security policy or incident response contact information, which limits transparency and preparedness for security incidents. The lack of cookie consent mechanisms indicates partial non-compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR. The missing WHOIS data for the domain is a notable concern for domain legitimacy and trust. Overall, the security maturity is adequate for a small legal firm website but can be improved with standard security best practices and compliance measures.

Recommendations

  1. Implement standard security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  2. Publish a clear privacy policy and cookie policy with a user consent mechanism to comply with GDPR and other privacy regulations.
  3. Verify and update WHOIS domain registration information to ensure domain legitimacy and improve trustworthiness.
  4. Add a dedicated security policy page and incident response contact information to improve transparency and readiness.
  5. Enhance accessibility features beyond basic ADA toggle to ensure compliance with accessibility standards and improve user experience for all visitors.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
The Law Offices of David C. Hardaway
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
The Law Offices of David C. Hardaway
Description
The Law Offices of David C. Hardaway provides criminal defense legal services in San Marcos, TX and surrounding counties, specializing in DWI, drug crimes, violent crimes, human smuggling, property crimes, sex crimes, misdemeanors, and felonies.
Key services
Criminal Defense, DWI Defense, Drug Crime Defense, Violent Crime Defense, Human Smuggling Defense, Property Crime Defense, Sex Crime Defense, Misdemeanor and Felony Defense
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, jQuery, Swiper.js, Google Fonts, Google Tag Manager, Google reCAPTCHA, Vimeo video embed, Azure Edge CDN, CallRail
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Google reCAPTCHA on contact form
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No vulnerable libraries detected

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Tracking pixels
CallRail
Marketing tools
CallRail, MileMark Legal Marketing
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional law firm site specializing in criminal defense in Central Texas.
  2. Content is comprehensive, well-structured, and includes detailed FAQs, attorney profiles, case results, and testimonials.
  3. Multiple structured data types (LegalService, Product, Organization, FAQPage) are implemented for SEO and rich results.
  4. Contact form uses Google reCAPTCHA for spam protection.
  5. No privacy or cookie policy banner detected, though a disclaimer page exists.
  6. No visible security headers in HTML source; HTTPS is used.
  7. No WHOIS data available, which is unusual and may require further investigation.
  8. Social media presence is established with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (X), Yelp, Avvo, and Super Lawyers profiles.
  9. No signs of adult or NSFW content; content is safe for general audiences.
  10. No WAF or blocking mechanisms detected; full site content accessible.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress CMS with a modern front-end stack including jQuery and Swiper.js for interactive elements. It uses Google Fonts for typography and Google Tag Manager for analytics tracking. The site is hosted with CDN support from Azure Edge, improving content delivery performance. The presence of Vimeo video embeds and CallRail for call tracking indicates integration of multimedia and marketing tools. The site loads CSS and JS asynchronously to optimize performance. Mobile optimization is good with responsive design and viewport meta tags. Accessibility is basic with an ADA toggle button but could be improved. SEO is supported by structured data (JSON-LD) for LegalService, Product, Organization, and FAQPage schemas, enhancing search engine visibility. Overall, the technical infrastructure is modern and well-implemented with room for security and privacy 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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