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Security report for expats.cz

Howlings s.r.o. · Media · Czech Republic

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

Security score

62/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Expats.cz is a well-established English-language media platform serving the expat community in Prague and the Czech Republic. Operated by Howlings s.r.o. since 2001, it offers comprehensive news coverage, job listings, real estate information, directories, and specialized guides. The website targets English-speaking expatriates and international residents, positioning itself as a leading resource in its niche. Technically, the site employs modern web technologies including jQuery, Bootstrap, and integrates analytics and advertising tools such as Google Tag Manager and Facebook Pixel. It demonstrates good digital maturity with responsive design and SEO best practices. Security-wise, the site uses HTTPS with strong security headers and no evident vulnerabilities, though it lacks a publicly stated security policy or incident response contacts. Privacy compliance is robust, featuring detailed privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms aligned with GDPR. Overall, the site is professional, trustworthy, and content-rich, supporting a high level of user engagement and business credibility.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of expats.cz. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 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 X-Frame-Options header

      Prevents clickjacking attacks

      What to do: Add "X-Frame-Options: DENY" or "X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN"

    • 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 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 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 expats.cz

This scan found 21 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
77
Security headers
15
Email security
85
DNS health
85
Network security
40
GDPR outside view
68
Average
62

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 expats.cz, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
662
Employees
0
Customers
662
Third parties
0
Weak passwords
13%

2 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 expats.cz.

Select it in the checkout above.

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

Expats.cz operates in the media sector with additional services in real estate and education partnerships. Its business model revolves around content publishing, advertising, and service listings tailored to the expat community. The platform leverages partnerships with educational institutions and event promoters to diversify offerings and revenue streams. Its market position as the leading English-language resource in the Czech Republic is supported by consistent branding, comprehensive content, and active social media engagement. The company maintains a medium-sized operational scale with a focus on quality content and user experience. Growth indicators include frequent content updates, sponsored partner articles, and a broad range of service categories. The partnership ecosystem includes reputable educational and event organizations, enhancing its market reach and service depth.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and no visible exposure of sensitive data. The use of modern JavaScript libraries and third-party scripts is balanced with privacy and cookie consent mechanisms. However, the absence of a dedicated security policy page and incident response contact information represents a gap in transparency and readiness. There is no evidence of a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file, which could improve trust and facilitate responsible vulnerability reporting. The site should consider enhancing accessibility compliance and regularly auditing third-party dependencies to mitigate potential risks. Overall, the security posture is strong but could benefit from formalized policies and incident management disclosures.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact information, including abuse and security email addresses.
  3. Implement a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Enhance website accessibility features to meet recognized standards and improve user inclusivity.
  5. Conduct regular security audits of third-party scripts and dependencies to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Howlings s.r.o.
VAT number
CZ27572102
Registration number
27572102
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Howlings s.r.o.
Description
Prague and the Czech Republic's leading English-language resource for the latest news, jobs and real estate
Key services
News, Jobs, Real Estate listings, Directory services, Newsletters, Teacher listings, Guides and partner articles
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery, Bootstrap, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, SweetAlert2, FancyBox, Cookie Script
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

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

Analytics and tracking

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

Advertising

Ad networks
Leady
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel
Marketing tools
Leady, Facebook Pixel
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 no blocking detected.
  2. WHOIS data is unavailable or privacy protected, limiting domain registration insights.
  3. Strong presence of privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms.
  4. Multiple social media channels actively linked and branded.
  5. Use of modern web technologies and security best practices.
  6. No signs of suspicious or malicious content.
  7. Advertising and tracking scripts are transparently used.
  8. Content is relevant and targeted to English-speaking expats in Czech Republic.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a solid technical foundation using jQuery and Bootstrap frameworks, ensuring responsive and user-friendly design. Integration with Google Tag Manager and Facebook Pixel supports advanced analytics and marketing capabilities. The site loads with moderate performance, likely influenced by multiple external scripts and advertising content. SEO is well addressed with proper meta tags and Open Graph data, enhancing social media sharing and search engine visibility. Accessibility is basic but could be improved to meet higher standards. Hosting details are not explicitly identified, but the use of CDN services for scripts and stylesheets suggests a modern hosting environment. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports the business goals effectively with room for optimization in performance and accessibility.
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. 62/100Medium28 findingsView report
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