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Security report for esf.de

Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS) · Government · Germany

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

65/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The website www.esf.de is the official portal for the European Social Fund (ESF) in Germany, operated by the Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS). It serves as a comprehensive information and service platform providing details on funding programs, social integration, employment initiatives, and related EU projects. The site targets a broad audience including employees, unemployed persons, educational institutions, entrepreneurs, families, and other social groups. It is positioned as a key government resource for promoting employment and social cohesion through EU funding mechanisms. Technically, the site is built on the Government Site Builder CMS and employs modern web technologies such as jQuery, Bootstrap, RequireJS, and integrates a consent management platform (Consentmanager.net) for GDPR compliance. Analytics are handled via Etracker, with scripts loaded asynchronously to optimize performance. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and SEO-friendly, with clear navigation and consistent branding. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses a consent management platform to handle privacy and cookie policies. While explicit security headers are not visible in the HTML, the overall posture is strong with no exposed sensitive data or vulnerabilities detected. The WHOIS data aligns with a legitimate government domain, showing consistent registration and authoritative name servers. Overall, the website demonstrates a high level of professionalism, compliance, and trustworthiness, making it a reliable source for information on the European Social Fund in Germany.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
40/ 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

5 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 Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1

  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 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

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

Keep watching esf.de

This scan found 25 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

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

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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
67
Security headers
65
Email security
55
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
40
Average
65

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 esf.de, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for esf.de 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

The ESF website represents a government entity focused on social and employment funding within Germany, leveraging EU resources. Its market position is authoritative and non-commercial, serving as an information hub and service portal. The business model revolves around public funding dissemination and citizen engagement. Key services include program information, application guidance, contact points, and news updates. The target customers are diverse social groups and project stakeholders. The site shows strong partnership ties with EU institutions and the German federal government, enhancing credibility and reach. Growth indicators include active news updates and social media engagement. The platform supports transparency and accessibility, critical for public sector trust.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS and integration of a consent management platform ensuring GDPR compliance. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive information were found in the HTML content. However, explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options are not evident and could be improved. Incident response and security policy information are not publicly available, which is common for government sites but could be enhanced for transparency. Overall, the site balances usability and security effectively, with recommendations to strengthen header policies and publish security contacts.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and explicitly declare security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and trust.
  3. Regularly audit third-party scripts and consent management tools to ensure they remain secure and up-to-date.
  4. Enhance visibility of direct contact information, including verified emails and phone numbers, to facilitate user support and trust.
  5. Maintain and update privacy and cookie policies regularly to reflect evolving regulations and best practices.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS)
Description
Europäischer Sozialfonds (ESF) ist das wichtigste Instrument der Europäischen Union zur Förderung der Beschäftigung in Europa. Er verbessert den Zugang zu besseren Arbeitsplätzen, bietet Qualifizierung und unterstützt die soziale Integration.
Key services
Information über ESF-Förderprogramme, Bereitstellung von Förderaufrufen und Ausschreibungen, Kontaktstellen und Bürgerservice, Newsletter und Publikationen
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap, RequireJS, Consentmanager.net CMP, Etracker analytics
Frameworks
Government Site Builder
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Consent management platform for GDPR compliance
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of secure external scripts

Analytics and tracking

Services
Etracker
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Etracker
Marketing tools
Consentmanager.net CMP
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a government portal for the European Social Fund in Germany.
  2. Content is comprehensive, well-structured, and professionally presented.
  3. Strong GDPR compliance with integrated consent management.
  4. Multiple official social media channels linked.
  5. No signs of security blocking or WAF challenges.
  6. No exposed sensitive information or vulnerabilities detected in HTML content.
  7. Use of modern JavaScript libraries and frameworks.
  8. No explicit terms of service page found.
  9. Contact information is available but no direct emails or phone numbers explicitly shown in the HTML content.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a government-specific CMS (Government Site Builder) combined with popular JavaScript libraries such as jQuery and Bootstrap for UI components and responsiveness. RequireJS is used for modular script loading, improving performance. Consentmanager.net is integrated for GDPR-compliant cookie consent management. Etracker provides analytics tracking. The site loads scripts asynchronously and uses responsive images for performance optimization. While the technical stack is modern and well-implemented, there is room for improvement in explicit security header implementation and possibly leveraging newer frontend frameworks for enhanced interactivity. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, indicating good technical maturity.
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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