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Security report for eu-startups.com

Menlo Media S.L. · Media · Spain

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

Security score

76/100

Risk levelLow

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

EU-Startups.com is a leading online magazine dedicated to European startups, providing comprehensive news, insights, funding updates, and a job board tailored for the startup ecosystem. The website is operated by Menlo Media S.L., a medium-sized media company based in Spain, with a strong market position as a trusted source for startup-related content in Europe. The platform offers a variety of services including a startup database, investor database, and an annual summit event, catering primarily to startup founders, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using the tagDiv Newspaper theme, leveraging modern web technologies such as JavaScript, jQuery, and various plugins for membership and e-commerce functionalities. The site demonstrates good performance, mobile optimization, and accessibility standards, with a well-structured SEO setup including meta tags and structured data. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS, implements key security headers, and avoids exposing sensitive data. It integrates multiple advertising and tracking technologies with a comprehensive GDPR-compliant cookie consent mechanism, reflecting a mature privacy posture. No critical vulnerabilities or blocking mechanisms were detected, indicating a secure and accessible platform. Overall, EU-Startups.com presents a professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained digital presence with strong compliance and security practices. Strategic recommendations include publishing a dedicated security policy, enhancing incident response transparency, and continuous monitoring of third-party integrations to maintain security and compliance.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of eu-startups.com. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
70/ 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

5 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 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
    • 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 eu-startups.com

This scan found 17 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

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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
60
Security headers
55
Email security
85
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
70
Average
76

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

EU-Startups.com holds a strong market position as a specialized media outlet focusing on the European startup ecosystem. Its competitive advantage lies in its comprehensive coverage, including funding news, interviews, podcasts, and a dedicated job board, which attracts a targeted audience of founders and investors. The business model is primarily advertising-driven, supplemented by membership subscriptions and event revenues. The company demonstrates consistent content updates and engagement through multiple social media channels, indicating healthy growth and active community involvement. Partnerships with various ad networks and data providers support its monetization strategy. The absence of direct contact emails suggests a preference for controlled communication channels, possibly to manage inquiries efficiently.

Security posture

The website exhibits a solid security posture with HTTPS enforced and multiple security headers implemented, such as Strict-Transport-Security and X-Content-Type-Options. There is no evidence of exposed credentials or sensitive information in the HTML content. The use of secure forms and absence of known vulnerable libraries further strengthen its security. The comprehensive GDPR compliance and detailed vendor consent management reflect a strong data protection culture. However, the lack of a publicly available security policy and incident response contact information indicates areas for improvement in transparency and readiness. Overall, the site maintains a secure environment suitable for its business operations.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and user responsibilities.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact channels such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Implement CAPTCHA or other anti-bot measures on forms to prevent automated abuse.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party plugins and scripts to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance user trust by displaying certifications or compliance badges where applicable.

Contact details published on the site

Legal name
Menlo Media S.L.
Registration number
company Northern
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Menlo Media S.L.
Description
EU-Startups.com is the leading online magazine about startups in Europe. It provides news, insights, funding updates, job board, and event information related to European startups.
Key services
Startup news and interviews, Funding round-ups, Job board for startups, Startup database and investor database, EU-Startups Summit event, Membership club with exclusive content
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress CMS, PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, Select2, Google Fonts, Easy Digital Downloads, Paid Memberships Pro, Jetpack, MediaElement.js
Frameworks
WordPress, tagDiv Newspaper theme
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed credentials or sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with proper input types

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google AdSense, AdMaxim, Index Exchange, Quantcast, Adform, Magnite, Media.net, Amazon Advertising, LinkedIn Ads
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Google Analytics (via gtag.js)
Marketing tools
PixelYourSite, Hellobar
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional, well-established online magazine focused on European startups
  2. Strong content and frequent updates with diverse categories and media types
  3. Comprehensive GDPR and cookie consent implementation with detailed vendor list
  4. Use of multiple advertising and tracking technologies with transparent policies
  5. No signs of blocking or WAF interference; site fully accessible
  6. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found; contact primarily via forms and social media
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a mature WordPress platform using the tagDiv Newspaper theme, which is optimized for content-rich media sites. It employs modern JavaScript libraries including jQuery and Select2, and integrates with various plugins for membership management, digital downloads, and job board functionalities. The site uses Google Fonts and MediaElement.js for media handling. Performance is moderate, with responsive design and accessibility features implemented. The presence of multiple ad networks and tracking scripts is managed with a comprehensive consent mechanism. Technical risks include dependency on numerous third-party scripts which require ongoing maintenance to prevent security and performance issues.
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. 78/100Low22 findingsView report
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