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Security report for desec.org

deSEC e.V. · Technology · Germany

Medium risk. 2 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view.

Security score

74/100

Risk levelMedium

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

deSEC e.V. is a non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany, providing a free, secure DNS hosting service designed with security and privacy in mind. The service leverages open-source software and is supported by reputable organizations such as ICANN, NLnet Foundation, RIPE NCC, and the European Union. Their platform offers modern DNS features including DNSSEC with elliptic-curve cryptography, cloud integrations, a REST API, multi-factor authentication, and a global Anycast network to ensure high availability and performance. Technically, the website is built as a modern single-page application using Vue.js and Vuetify, ensuring excellent mobile optimization, accessibility, and fast performance. The DNS service infrastructure is robust, supporting advanced DNS record types and seamless integration with popular tools like Let's Encrypt. The domain registration is consistent with the organization's claims, with a long registration history and no privacy protection, indicating transparency. From a security perspective, deSEC demonstrates strong practices such as enforced DNSSEC signing, multi-factor authentication, and domain status protections. However, there is room for improvement in publishing explicit security policies, incident response procedures, and implementing security headers. Privacy compliance is well addressed with a comprehensive privacy policy, though a cookie consent mechanism is absent. Overall, deSEC presents a trustworthy, professional, and technically mature service with a strong focus on security and privacy. The organization’s non-profit status and transparent operations further enhance its credibility. Strategic recommendations include enabling DNSSEC at the registrar level, adding security headers, and publishing incident response information to strengthen security posture and compliance.

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

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

    • 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

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

Keep watching desec.org

This scan found 13 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
95
Security headers
85
Email security
83
DNS health
85
Network security
40
GDPR outside view
53
Average
74

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

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 desec.org, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for desec.org 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

deSEC operates in the technology sector as a non-profit DNS hosting provider focusing on security and open-source principles. Its market positioning is niche, targeting users who require secure, modern DNS services with advanced features. The business model relies on grants, donations, and community support rather than commercial revenue. The company benefits from partnerships with major internet governance and funding bodies, enhancing its credibility and reach. The service appeals to individuals, developers, and organizations valuing privacy and security. Growth indicators include ongoing funding from European and global organizations and active community engagement. The partnership ecosystem is strong, involving ICANN, NLnet Foundation, RIPE NCC, and EU projects, which supports sustainability and innovation.

Security posture

deSEC exhibits a mature security posture with enforced DNSSEC signing using state-of-the-art cryptography, multi-factor authentication for accounts, and domain registration protections. The website and service avoid exposing sensitive data and do not use vulnerable libraries. However, the absence of published security policies, incident response plans, and security.txt files indicates gaps in formal security governance and transparency. The lack of security headers on the website is a minor technical shortfall. Compliance with GDPR is supported by a comprehensive privacy policy, but cookie consent mechanisms are missing. Overall, the security culture appears strong but could benefit from formalizing policies and improving web security configurations.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC at the domain registrar level to fully secure the domain.
  2. Implement and publish comprehensive security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options) on the website.
  3. Develop and make publicly available an incident response policy and contact channels.
  4. Add a cookie consent mechanism if cookies are used to enhance GDPR compliance.
  5. Publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
deSEC e.V.
Registration number
VR37525 at AG Berlin (Charlottenburg)
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
deSEC e.V.
Description
deSEC is a free DNS hosting service designed with security in mind, running on open-source software and supported by SSE. It is organized as a non-profit organization based in Berlin.
Key services
Free DNS hosting, DNSSEC signing, Cloud integration, Modern DNS record types support, Web interface for DNS management, REST API, Multi-factor authentication, Global Anycast DNS network, Let's Encrypt integration
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript (ES Modules), Vue.js (Vuetify framework), REST API, Elliptic-curve cryptography for DNSSEC, Anycast DNS network
Frameworks
Vuetify
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of DNSSEC with elliptic-curve cryptography
  • Multi-factor authentication support
  • Client transfer and update prohibited domain status
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of HTTPS (implied by modern site and scripts)

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Transparency
poor

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a modern, secure DNS hosting service with strong emphasis on security and open-source principles.
  2. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity.
  3. Strong support and funding from reputable organizations.
  4. No cookie consent mechanism detected despite GDPR compliance claims.
  5. No explicit security or incident response policy pages found.
  6. No analytics or tracking scripts detected, indicating privacy-conscious design.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is a modern, performant single-page application built with Vue.js and Vuetify, ensuring excellent user experience and mobile responsiveness. The DNS service infrastructure supports advanced DNS features and integrates well with cloud tools and automation frameworks. The use of elliptic-curve cryptography for DNSSEC and a global Anycast network demonstrates a high-quality technical foundation. No major technical debt or outdated technologies were detected. Opportunities for modernization include enhancing security headers and formalizing security documentation. The hosting provider is not explicitly identified, but the domain registrar is 101domain GRS Limited with domain status protections in place.
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

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 70/100Medium23 findingsView report
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