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Security report for deutscher-nachhaltigkeitskodex.de

Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitskodex (DNK) · Government · Germany

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

61/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitskodex (DNK) website serves as a comprehensive platform providing free support for companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to comply with the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). It offers a modular suite of services including a digital reporting platform, checklists, helpdesk support, and sector-specific guidance. The DNK is backed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and developed by the Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), positioning it as a trusted and authoritative resource in the sustainability reporting domain. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies such as Bootstrap and jQuery, integrates Google Maps for interactive features, and uses Consentmanager.net for GDPR-compliant cookie management. Analytics are handled via Piwik (Matomo), reflecting a moderate level of user tracking balanced with privacy considerations. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and SEO-friendly, with a consistent and professional design that enhances user experience. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and employs cookie consent mechanisms, though explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy are not evident. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The WHOIS data is minimal but consistent with the site's official nature, supported by government and recognized sustainability organizations. Overall, the site demonstrates a strong security posture with room for improvement in explicit security policies and incident response disclosures. The overall risk assessment is low, with the site presenting a trustworthy, professional, and compliant platform for sustainability reporting. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing a security policy, and maintaining up-to-date third-party components to sustain and improve the security and compliance posture.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
28/ 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

6 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. 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 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';…

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Keep watching deutscher-nachhaltigkeitskodex.de

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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
25
Email security
75
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
28
Average
61

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

DNK occupies a strategic niche as the official German transparency standard for sustainability reporting, targeting SMEs and larger companies subject to CSRD. Its business model revolves around providing free digital tools and support services, funded by the German government, to ease compliance burdens. The platform's modular approach and sector-specific adaptations indicate a customer-centric strategy focused on usability and relevance. Partnerships with GIZ and RNE enhance credibility and outreach. The presence of over 1,000 user organizations and integration of feedback mechanisms (e.g., public consultations) suggest active community engagement and continuous improvement. The DNK's positioning as a government-backed non-profit initiative differentiates it from commercial competitors, emphasizing transparency and public good over profit.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS, cookie consent with script blocking, and no visible exposure of sensitive information. The use of reputable third-party libraries and analytics tools is balanced with privacy compliance. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options represents an area for enhancement. No incident response contacts or vulnerability disclosure policies are published, which could limit rapid response capabilities. Overall, the site aligns well with GDPR requirements and demonstrates good security hygiene, but formalizing security policies and improving header configurations would strengthen defenses.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to mitigate common web vulnerabilities.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and readiness.
  3. Regularly audit and update third-party libraries and scripts to avoid vulnerabilities from outdated components.
  4. Enhance user privacy by reviewing and possibly limiting tracking scopes of analytics tools.
  5. Consider adding a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitskodex (DNK)
Description
Der DNK bietet kostenlos Unterstützung für CSRD/ESRS und senkt so den Aufwand der Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung speziell für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen.
Key services
DNK Sustainability Campus (Helpdesk und Schulungen), DNK-Checkliste für ESRS-Berichtsanforderungen, DNK-Plattform zur digitalen Erstellung von CSRD-Berichten, DNK-Erklärung Datenbank, Branchenspezifische Unterstützung, Individuelle Beratung
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Bootstrap, jQuery, Slick Carousel, Consentmanager.net (Cookie Consent), Google Maps API, Piwik (Matomo) Analytics
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent with blocking scripts
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of reputable third-party libraries

Analytics and tracking

Services
Piwik (Matomo)
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Piwik (Matomo)
Marketing tools
Consentmanager.net
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website provides comprehensive support for sustainability reporting aligned with EU CSRD requirements.
  2. Strong official backing by German federal ministry and sustainability council.
  3. Modern, accessible, and user-friendly design with multilingual support (German and English).
  4. Robust cookie consent and privacy compliance mechanisms implemented.
  5. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity detected.
  6. No explicit terms of service found on the site.
  7. Contact information is clearly presented with multiple channels.
  8. Use of reputable third-party services for analytics and consent management.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern technology stack featuring Bootstrap for responsive design, jQuery for DOM manipulation, and Slick Carousel for interactive sliders. It integrates Google Maps API for geospatial features and Consentmanager.net for GDPR-compliant cookie management. Analytics are conducted via Piwik (Matomo), indicating a preference for privacy-conscious tracking. The site is hosted with domain control via GoDaddy DNS servers. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and accessibility features. The CMS is not explicitly identified but appears custom or proprietary. The site structure is well-organized with clear navigation and multilingual support. Opportunities exist to improve security headers and formalize security policies to reduce technical risks.
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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