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Security report for epo.org

European Patent Office · Government · N/a

Partial score · DNS & email only

49/100

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

The European Patent Office (EPO) website serves as a comprehensive portal for patent-related services, legal information, and educational resources. It targets patent applicants, IP professionals, legal practitioners, and the general public interested in innovation and intellectual property protection in Europe. The site reflects the EPO's position as a leading governmental organization in the patent domain, offering extensive tools and information to support patent searching, application, and legal processes. Technically, the website is built on Drupal 10 with React components for specialized applications, supported by Matomo analytics for user tracking with privacy considerations. The site demonstrates modern web practices including responsive design, accessibility features, and strong SEO optimization. Performance is fast, and the site is well-structured for user navigation. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS with excellent SSL configuration and implements multiple security headers. Cookie consent mechanisms and privacy policies indicate compliance with GDPR and related regulations. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The WHOIS data is unavailable due to malformed query responses, but this is consistent with registry policies rather than suspicious activity, and the domain is legitimate for a major European governmental entity. Overall, the EPO website is a secure, professional, and authoritative resource for patent information and services, with strong privacy and compliance postures. It is recommended to maintain regular security audits, keep third-party components updated, and continue transparency in privacy practices to uphold trust and security.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
53/ 100 · Medium
Checks completed
6of 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

17 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Network security

    Services reachable from the internet are the first thing attackers probe. Anything open that does not need to be should be closed.

    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: Telnet

      Port 23 (Telnet) is publicly accessible - Telnet - Unencrypted remote access

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to Telnet using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection
    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: SMB

      Port 445 (SMB) is publicly accessible - SMB - Windows file sharing, high risk

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to SMB using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection
    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: MSSQL

      Port 1433 (MSSQL) is publicly accessible - MSSQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to MSSQL using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection
    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: Oracle

      Port 1521 (Oracle) is publicly accessible - Oracle - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to Oracle using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection
    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: MySQL

      Port 3306 (MySQL) is publicly accessible - MySQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to MySQL using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection

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

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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
52
Email security
85
DNS health
90
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
53
Average
56
After the cap
49

Not counted

  • Security headers: did not complete in this scan.
  • 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 · found on this site
  • 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

The EPO operates as a governmental organization providing essential patent services across Europe. Its market position is strong as the primary European patent authority, offering patent examination, grant, and information dissemination. The business model is service-oriented, focusing on supporting innovation and IP protection. Revenue streams are likely governmental funding and service fees. The target audience includes inventors, patent attorneys, legal professionals, researchers, and policy makers. The organization maintains a broad partnership ecosystem with member states and international IP bodies. The website reflects a mature digital presence with extensive content and user engagement tools, supporting the EPO's strategic goals and operational transparency.

Security posture

The EPO website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and secure form handling via Drupal. Privacy compliance is evident through detailed policies and cookie consent mechanisms. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found. The use of Matomo analytics respects user privacy better than many alternatives. Incident response and vulnerability disclosure information is not explicitly found on the site, which could be improved. Overall, the security culture appears strong, aligned with governmental standards, but could benefit from publicly accessible incident response contacts and vulnerability disclosure policies.

Recommendations

  1. Publish explicit incident response and vulnerability disclosure policies with contact channels to enhance transparency and security readiness.
  2. Regularly audit and update third-party JavaScript libraries and React components to mitigate emerging vulnerabilities.
  3. Enhance accessibility features further to meet highest WCAG standards for broader inclusivity.
  4. Maintain and update privacy and cookie policies to reflect evolving regulations and best practices.
  5. Consider publishing security certifications or compliance attestations to strengthen trust signals.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
European Patent Office
Description
The European Patent Office (EPO) provides patent services including patent searching, application, legal information, and patent law resources. It supports innovation and intellectual property protection in Europe.
Key services
Patent searching, Patent application processing, Legal information and guidelines, Patent databases and tools, Educational resources via European Patent Academy
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Drupal 10, Matomo Analytics, JavaScript, CSS, React (specialized apps)
Frameworks
Drupal
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent mechanism
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with CSRF tokens (implied by Drupal)

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Matomo Analytics
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is comprehensive and professionally designed.
  2. Content is extensive, covering patent searching, application, legal info, and educational resources.
  3. Strong privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms.
  4. No signs of phishing, malware, or suspicious content.
  5. Use of modern technologies and analytics with privacy considerations.
  6. No exposed sensitive data or security vulnerabilities detected.
  7. WHOIS data unavailable but domain is consistent with a major European governmental organization.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern Drupal 10 CMS platform with React-based specialized applications, indicating a hybrid architecture leveraging both traditional CMS and modern JavaScript frameworks. The use of Matomo analytics shows a preference for privacy-conscious tracking. Performance is optimized with asynchronous script loading and responsive design. The site uses standard web technologies including CSS and JavaScript with good SEO and accessibility practices. Hosting details are not explicit but the site uses HTTPS with strong SSL configuration. Technical risks are minimal but require ongoing maintenance of third-party components and security headers to prevent future vulnerabilities.
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. 49/100High34 findings · partial scanView report
  2. 56/100Medium4 findings · partial scanView report
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