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Security report for ecosia.org

Ecosia GmbH · Technology · Germany

Low risk. 4 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

82/100

Risk levelLow

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

Ecosia GmbH operates a green search engine that dedicates 100% of its profits to climate action, primarily through tree planting projects worldwide. The company positions itself as a transparent and environmentally responsible alternative to mainstream search engines, with a strong community of over 20 million users. Their business model leverages advertising revenue to fund sustainability initiatives, supported by monthly financial reports and certifications such as B-Corporation. The website is professionally designed, mobile-optimized, and provides clear navigation and calls to action to engage users in their mission. Technically, Ecosia employs modern web technologies including JavaScript frameworks (likely Vue.js), Google Tag Manager for analytics, and Didomi for consent management, ensuring compliance with privacy regulations such as GDPR. The site is served over HTTPS with strong security headers, reflecting a mature security posture. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected, and the site includes mechanisms for cookie consent and privacy transparency. Security-wise, Ecosia demonstrates good practices with HTTPS enforcement, consent management, and transparent data processing disclosures. However, no explicit incident response or security policy pages were found, suggesting an opportunity to enhance security communication. The lack of publicly listed contact emails or phone numbers may limit direct user support but aligns with privacy considerations. Overall, Ecosia presents a trustworthy and credible online presence with a clear environmental mission, solid technical infrastructure, and good security hygiene. The absence of WHOIS data limits domain registration insights but does not detract from the evident legitimacy and professionalism of the site. Strategic recommendations include enhancing incident response visibility, maintaining up-to-date technology stacks, and possibly providing more direct contact channels for security or support inquiries.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
58/ 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

4 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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';…

  2. 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

  3. 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 SSL Key Length

      SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

      What to do: Use at least 2048-bit RSA or 256-bit ECC key

      • CWE-326
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • Mozilla TLS: Mozilla Server Side TLS 6.0 intermediate: rsa_key_size 2048

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

Keep watching ecosia.org

This scan found 12 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
75
Security headers
70
Email security
97
DNS health
90
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
58
Average
82

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 ecosia.org, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
456
Employees
1
Customers
395
Third parties
60
Weak passwords
15%

Latest record dated 2025-09-17 · 12 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 ecosia.org.

Select it in the checkout above.

Masked preview

  • –login.ecosia.org2025-09-17

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

Open in Breach(opens in a new tab)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

Ecosia occupies a unique niche as a green search engine with a strong environmental focus, differentiating itself through its commitment to planting trees and funding climate action. Its competitive advantage lies in transparency, community engagement, and certification as a B-Corporation. Revenue streams are primarily advertising-based, reinvested into sustainability projects. The target audience includes environmentally conscious internet users seeking alternatives to traditional search engines. Growth indicators include a large user base and significant financial contributions to climate initiatives. The partnership ecosystem includes advertising networks like Google Ads and consent management providers. The company maintains a consistent brand and communicates its mission effectively through its digital presence.

Security posture

Ecosia demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and multiple security headers implemented. The use of consent management tools indicates compliance with privacy regulations. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed content. However, the absence of explicit security policy or incident response pages suggests room for improvement in transparency around security governance. The site’s security score is high, reflecting good practices but with potential to enhance incident response readiness and communication. Overall, the risk level is low, with no critical vulnerabilities identified.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to improve transparency and user trust.
  2. Regularly audit and update third-party libraries and scripts to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  3. Consider providing direct security contact channels such as security@ecosia.org for responsible disclosure.
  4. Enhance user support by listing verified contact emails or phone numbers for customer service.
  5. Maintain and expand privacy compliance efforts, including clear data retention policies and user rights information.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Ecosia GmbH
Description
Ecosia uses 100% of its profits for the planet and produces enough renewable energy to power all searches twice over.
Key services
Search engine, Tree planting projects, Financial transparency reports
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, Google Tag Manager, Didomi Consent Management
Frameworks
Vue.js (inferred from data-v- attributes)
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Consent management for cookies
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager)
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Ads (DoubleClick)
Marketing tools
Didomi Consent Management
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and interactive features.
  2. Strong focus on environmental sustainability and transparency.
  3. Use of modern web technologies and consent management.
  4. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity.
  5. Clear calls to action and community engagement.
  6. No direct contact emails or phone numbers publicly listed.
  7. WHOIS data is unavailable or protected, common for privacy-conscious companies.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern JavaScript framework, likely Vue.js, indicated by data-v- attributes. It integrates Google Tag Manager and Google Ads for analytics and advertising, alongside Didomi for consent management, ensuring GDPR compliance. The site is well-structured with valid HTML and CSS, optimized for mobile devices, and includes SEO best practices such as meta tags and Open Graph data. Performance appears fast with preconnect and preload hints for critical resources. No CMS or hosting provider was explicitly identified. The technical stack supports a robust, user-friendly experience with good accessibility and security configurations.
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. 82/100Low20 findingsView report
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