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Security report for dbk.de

Deutsche Bischofskonferenz · Government · Germany

High risk. 7 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Network security and 1 other check.

Security score

49/100

Risk levelHigh

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

The Deutsche Bischofskonferenz (DBK) website serves as the official online presence of the German Bishops' Conference, providing authoritative information, news, and resources related to the Catholic Church in Germany. It targets German-speaking Catholics, church officials, and the general public interested in religious affairs. The site offers thematic content, service tools such as parish searches and address directories, and maintains a strong social media presence. The business model is non-profit and government-related, focusing on information dissemination and coordination among Catholic dioceses. Technically, the website is built on TYPO3 CMS and leverages modern web technologies including jQuery, Bootstrap, and Owl Carousel. It is hosted on domaincontrol.com nameservers, indicating professional hosting arrangements. The site demonstrates good mobile optimization, accessibility, and SEO practices, with a moderate performance profile. Privacy compliance is robust, featuring a Usercentrics consent management platform and a comprehensive privacy policy in German. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses modern libraries, but lacks explicit security headers such as CSP and X-Frame-Options. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The absence of a published security policy or incident response contact is noted. Overall, the security posture is good but could be improved with additional headers and formal vulnerability disclosure mechanisms. The website is safe for general audiences, containing no adult or explicit content. The domain registration data aligns well with the organization's identity, showing no suspicious patterns. The site is trustworthy, professionally maintained, and compliant with relevant regulations. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing a security policy, and maintaining up-to-date software components.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
40/ 100 · High
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. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • Critical

      EU business without adequate privacy measures

      EU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements

      What to do: Implement comprehensive GDPR compliance including privacy policy, cookie consent, and data protection measures

    • 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

  2. 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
    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: PostgreSQL

      Port 5432 (PostgreSQL) is publicly accessible - PostgreSQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to PostgreSQL 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

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

Keep watching dbk.de

This scan found 24 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

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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
72
Security headers
90
Email security
55
DNS health
65
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
40
Average
54
After the cap
49

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

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention dbk.de, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for dbk.de right now. New leaks arrive continuously, so monitoring on Breach alerts you if that changes.

Monitor on Breach (opens in a new tab)

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

DBK holds a central authoritative position within the German Catholic Church ecosystem, serving as the official body for all Catholic bishops in Germany. Its competitive advantage lies in its official status, comprehensive content, and integration with partner organizations. The business model is informational and service-oriented, focusing on religious education, coordination, and communication. Revenue streams are likely non-commercial, supported by church funding. The target customer segments include clergy, church members, researchers, and the interested public. Growth indicators include active content updates and digital service offerings. The partnership ecosystem is broad, linking to multiple Catholic and religious organizations, enhancing credibility and reach.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS and use of a GDPR-compliant consent management platform. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found. However, the lack of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options represents a moderate risk that could be mitigated. The absence of a public security policy or incident response contact limits transparency and readiness for vulnerability reporting. Compliance with GDPR is evident, but further improvements in security best practices and formal vulnerability disclosure would strengthen the security culture and resilience.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to mitigate common web attacks.
  2. Publish a formal security policy and provide clear incident response contact channels to improve transparency and vulnerability management.
  3. Regularly audit and update all third-party libraries and CMS components to address potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance monitoring and logging to detect and respond to security incidents promptly.
  5. Maintain and improve privacy compliance documentation and user consent mechanisms to align with evolving regulations.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Deutsche Bischofskonferenz
Description
Die Deutsche Bischofskonferenz (DBK) ist der Zusammenschluss der römisch-katholischen Bischöfe aller Diözesen in Deutschland
Key services
Information dissemination about Catholic Church activities, News and press releases, Thematic resources on church topics, Service tools like diocese maps, parish search, and address directories, Event and career information
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 3.2.1, Bootstrap, Owl Carousel, Dropzone, Popper.js, Toastr, Modernizr, TYPO3 CMS, ReadSpeaker
Frameworks
TYPO3 CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of modern JS libraries
  • Consent management platform (Usercentrics) for GDPR compliance

Analytics and tracking

Services
Piwik (Matomo)
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Piwik (stats.dbk.de/piwik.js)
Marketing tools
Usercentrics CMP
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenges.
  2. Content is comprehensive, professionally presented, and well-structured.
  3. Strong focus on German Catholic Church topics and services.
  4. Good GDPR compliance with a consent management platform in place.
  5. Use of modern web technologies and CMS TYPO3.
  6. Social media presence across major platforms.
  7. No signs of suspicious or malicious content.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on TYPO3 CMS, a robust and widely used content management system, indicating a stable technical foundation. The use of modern JavaScript libraries such as jQuery, Bootstrap, and Owl Carousel supports a responsive and interactive user experience. Hosting on domaincontrol.com nameservers suggests professional domain management. Performance is moderate, with room for optimization in loading times and resource management. Accessibility and SEO are well addressed, contributing to good user experience and discoverability. Technical debt appears low, but continuous updates and security hardening are recommended to maintain operational integrity.
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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