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Security report for de-hub.de

de:hub digital ecosystems · Technology · Germany

High risk. 8 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Email security and 2 other checks.

Security score

49/100

Risk levelHigh

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

The website www.de-hub.de represents the de:hub digital ecosystems initiative, a government-backed network aimed at connecting medium-sized enterprises and corporations with innovation partners from the startup scene and academia across Germany. The initiative operates 25 hubs specializing in various technology sectors, fostering collaboration and technological innovation. The site is professionally designed, well-structured, and provides extensive information about the hubs, services, and contact options. Technically, the site is built on TYPO3 CMS with modern frontend technologies and uses Matomo for analytics, indicating a mature digital infrastructure. Security posture is good with HTTPS enforced and secure forms, though explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not present. Privacy compliance is strong with a comprehensive privacy policy, but lacks a cookie consent mechanism. Overall, the site is trustworthy, professional, and serves as a key digital innovation platform in Germany.

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

8 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

  2. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

    • Critical

      No email authentication configured

      Domain is vulnerable to email spoofing

      What to do: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC immediately

  3. 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

  4. 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';…

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

Keep watching de-hub.de

This scan found 23 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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  • 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
100
Security headers
55
Email security
75
DNS health
60
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
40
Average
55
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 de-hub.de, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for de-hub.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

De:hub positions itself as a central innovation ecosystem in Germany, supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). Its competitive advantage lies in its extensive network of 25 specialized hubs, each focusing on distinct technology sectors such as FinTech, Cybersecurity, AI, and GreenTech. The business model revolves around facilitating connections and collaborations between startups, corporates, and research institutions, providing digital services like startup and program finders, and hosting learning sessions. The initiative targets medium to large enterprises and startups seeking innovation partnerships. The presence of national and international partners like GTAI enhances its market reach. The website content and partnerships indicate a stable growth trajectory and strong government endorsement.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid security foundation with HTTPS enabled and secure form handling. Use of security headers is minimal but present, and no exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. However, the absence of a published security policy, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms like security.txt indicates room for improvement in transparency and preparedness. The use of third-party analytics and cloud services is managed asynchronously, reducing performance impact. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be enhanced by adopting explicit security governance documentation and incident response readiness.

Recommendations

  1. Implement a cookie consent banner to comply fully with GDPR and enhance user privacy transparency.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and frameworks followed.
  3. Add incident response contact information and consider publishing a security.txt file for vulnerability reporting.
  4. Enhance security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP) to mitigate XSS and other web attacks.
  5. Regularly audit third-party scripts and dependencies to ensure no vulnerabilities are introduced.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
de:hub digital ecosystems
Description
Die de:hub Initiative vernetzt Mittelstand und Corporates mit Innovationspartnern aus Gründerszene und Wissenschaft. In 25 Hubs fördern sie den Austausch von Technologie- und Wirtschaftsexpertise für technologische Innovationen made in Germany.
Key services
Vernetzung von Mittelstand und Corporates mit Innovationspartnern, Startup Finder (interaktive Datenbank), Program Finder, Expert Finder, Innovation Guide, Academy Learning Sessions
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
TYPO3 CMS, Bootstrap, jQuery, Video.js, Select2, Matomo Analytics, CCM19 Cloud services
Frameworks
TYPO3 CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No visible exposed sensitive data
  • Secure contact forms with validation
  • Use of async loading for analytics scripts

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Matomo Analytics, CCM19 Cloud
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a government-backed digital ecosystem initiative in Germany.
  2. Content is comprehensive and well-structured with multiple hubs and services.
  3. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity.
  4. No cookie consent mechanism detected despite GDPR compliance.
  5. Contact information is clearly provided with emails and phone numbers.
  6. Use of modern web technologies and analytics tools.
  7. No visible security policy or incident response information.
  8. No terms of service page found.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is powered by TYPO3 CMS, a robust and widely used content management system, ensuring scalability and maintainability. Frontend technologies include Bootstrap for responsive design, jQuery, Video.js for media handling, and Select2 for enhanced form controls. Analytics are handled via Matomo, a privacy-focused platform. Hosting is managed through Managed IP, indicating professional infrastructure. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and accessibility features. SEO is well addressed with proper meta tags, Open Graph, and alternate language links. The site could benefit from performance optimizations such as lazy loading images and enhanced caching strategies.
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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