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Security report for dkfz.de

Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) · Healthcare · Germany

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

68/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) is Germany's largest biomedical cancer research institution, employing over 3,000 staff and focusing on understanding cancer development, risk factors, prevention, diagnostics, and treatment. The website reflects a mature, well-funded public research entity with strong collaborations and translational research centers. Technically, the site is built on TYPO3 CMS with modern web technologies, optimized for performance, accessibility, and SEO. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, security headers, and no visible vulnerabilities. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear policies and consent mechanisms. Overall, the site projects high professionalism and trustworthiness, supporting DKFZ's mission and public engagement.

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

4 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. 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

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Keep watching dkfz.de

This scan found 22 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
77
Security headers
75
Email security
60
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
28
Average
68

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 dkfz.de, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
820
Employees
0
Customers
795
Third parties
25
Weak passwords
35%

21 subdomains affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for dkfz.de.

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Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

DKFZ holds a leading market position in cancer research within Germany and Europe, supported by federal and state funding and Helmholtz membership. Its business model is non-profit, focused on research excellence and public health impact. The institution offers key services including cancer research, information services, clinical trials, and educational programs. The website targets researchers, patients, healthcare professionals, and donors. Partnerships with university hospitals and translational centers enhance its ecosystem. Growth indicators include extensive scientific output and international collaborations.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a high security maturity level with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and no exposed sensitive data. There is no explicit public security policy or incident response contact, which could be improved. No vulnerabilities or outdated libraries were detected. GDPR compliance is evident through privacy and cookie policies. Incident response readiness is not publicly detailed, suggesting an area for enhancement. Overall, the security posture supports the institution's credibility and data protection obligations.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response information to enhance transparency.
  2. Consider implementing and publishing a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file.
  3. Maintain regular security audits and update CMS and dependencies promptly.
  4. Enhance visibility of data protection officer contact and privacy compliance details.
  5. Continue optimizing performance and accessibility to maintain high user experience standards.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ)
Description
Das Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) ist mit mehr als 3.000 Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern die größte biomedizinische Forschungseinrichtung in Deutschland. Es forscht zu Krebsentstehung, Risikofaktoren, Prävention, Diagnostik und Behandlung. Es betreibt Krebsinformationsdienste und kooperiert mit Universitätskliniken und Forschungszentren.
Key services
Krebsforschung, Krebsinformationsdienst, Translationale Forschung, Klinische Studien, Ausbildung und Karriereangebote
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
TYPO3 CMS, JavaScript (ES Modules), WebP images, SVG icons, CSS3, HTML5
Frameworks
TYPO3
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Security headers present
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with CSRF tokens (implied by TYPO3)
  • No known vulnerable libraries detected

Analytics and tracking

Services
Internal statistics service (statistik.dkfz.de)
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 professionally designed and well-structured.
  2. Content is comprehensive and targeted at multiple audiences including researchers and the public.
  3. Strong emphasis on cancer research and public health information.
  4. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity.
  5. Good technical implementation with modern web standards.
  6. Publicly funded research institution with transparent information.
  7. No advertising or tracking beyond minimal internal analytics.
  8. No security or privacy policy gaps detected.
  9. WHOIS data confirms legitimacy and consistency.
Technical notes

Notes

The DKFZ website uses TYPO3 CMS, a robust open-source content management system favored in academic and research environments. The site employs modern web standards including responsive design, WebP images for performance, SVG icons, and ES module JavaScript. Hosting is likely managed by academic or research network providers in Germany, ensuring reliability and compliance. The site loads quickly and is optimized for mobile devices and accessibility. SEO practices are well implemented with meta tags, Open Graph data, and structured navigation. Technical risks are minimal, with no detected deprecated technologies or security flaws.
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. 68/100Medium30 findingsView report
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