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Security report for decibel.vc

Decibel · Technology · N/a

Low risk. 2 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

78/100

Risk levelLow

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

Decibel is an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in investments in essential infrastructure software used by developers, data engineers, and cybersecurity teams. The company positions itself as an early believer in technical founders, providing not only capital but also strategic support including access to early customers, marketing playbooks, founder advisory, and talent recruitment. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand image targeting technical founders and startups in the technology sector. The technical infrastructure of the website is modern and robust, leveraging Webflow CMS, jQuery, Slick Carousel, and multiple analytics and marketing tools such as Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight, Twitter Analytics, and HubSpot. The site is mobile-optimized with good SEO and accessibility basics, though some accessibility features could be enhanced. Performance is moderate, with a clean and responsive design. From a security perspective, the website uses HTTPS with good SSL configuration and secure form handling. However, it lacks explicit security headers and published security policies or incident response contacts. Cookie consent is implemented, indicating some privacy compliance, but GDPR compliance is not fully evident. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the content. Overall, Decibel's website presents a credible and professional digital presence with strong business credibility and moderate to good security posture. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing security and incident response policies, and improving privacy compliance disclosures to strengthen trust and compliance.

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

2 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.

    • 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

  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 decibel.vc

This scan found 19 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
60
Email security
85
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
78

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

Decibel operates as a niche venture capital firm focusing on early-stage investments in technology infrastructure software. Its competitive advantage lies in its deep engagement with technical founders and providing comprehensive support beyond funding, including customer access, marketing growth strategies, and founder mentorship. The business model is investment-driven with a focus on scaling startups. The website highlights partnerships with innovative companies and a community-oriented approach through newsletters and events. The absence of explicit physical addresses or phone contacts suggests a digitally native operation. The firm maintains active social media channels and leverages modern marketing and analytics tools to engage its audience and measure impact.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a baseline security maturity with HTTPS enforced and secure form submissions. The presence of cookie consent aligns with privacy best practices. However, the lack of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options indicates room for improvement. No explicit security or incident response policies are published, which could hinder transparency and trust in case of security incidents. No vulnerabilities or sensitive data exposures were found in the HTML content. The use of multiple third-party scripts necessitates ongoing monitoring for vulnerabilities. Overall, the security posture is moderate but would benefit from enhanced policies and technical controls.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and configure security headers (CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options) to mitigate common web attacks.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and trust.
  3. Add a vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting of security issues.
  4. Enhance accessibility features to meet higher compliance standards and improve user experience for all users.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and libraries to minimize security risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Decibel
Description
Decibel is an early-stage venture capital firm. We invest in essential infrastructure software used by developers, data engineers, and cybersecurity teams.
Key services
Early-stage venture capital funding, Support for product-market fit and scaling, Access to early customers and evangelists, Marketing and growth playbooks, Founder advisory, Talent recruitment
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery, Slick Carousel, Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Twitter Universal Website Tag, HubSpot, Finsweet Cookie Consent, Webflow CMS
Frameworks
Webflow
Platforms
Webflow Hosting
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Secure forms with POST method
  • Cookie consent mechanism implemented

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via GTM), LinkedIn Insight, Twitter Analytics, HubSpot Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Ad networks
Twitter Ads
Tracking pixels
Twitter Universal Website Tag, LinkedIn Insight Tag, HubSpot
Marketing tools
HubSpot
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and well-structured.
  2. Focuses on early-stage venture capital investments in technology infrastructure.
  3. Strong emphasis on supporting technical founders and startups.
  4. Multiple forms for newsletter and contact, all using secure POST methods.
  5. Social media presence on Twitter and LinkedIn.
  6. No exposed sensitive data or security vulnerabilities detected in the HTML content.
  7. Cookie consent banner present and functional.
  8. No explicit security or incident response policies published.
  9. No phone numbers or physical addresses explicitly listed.
  10. No email addresses explicitly listed; contact via forms only.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on Webflow CMS, utilizing jQuery and Slick Carousel for interactive elements. It integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools including Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight, Twitter Analytics, and HubSpot, indicating a mature digital marketing strategy. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and smooth animations. Performance is moderate, with potential improvements in loading speed by optimizing third-party scripts. The technical implementation is modern and well-structured, though accessibility and security header implementations could be improved. Hosting is provided by Webflow, ensuring reliable uptime and SSL support.
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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