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Security report for fawcetts.co.uk

Fawcetts LLP · Finance · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Network security and 1 other check.

Security score

67/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Fawcetts LLP is a well-established chartered accountancy and business advisory firm based in Salisbury, UK. The firm offers a broad range of financial services including annual accounts, statutory audits, taxation, payroll, and business planning, targeting small to medium-sized businesses, charities, and independent schools. Their market position is strengthened by professional memberships and a team of experienced professionals. The website reflects a mature digital presence built on WordPress with modern plugins and tools, providing a user-friendly experience with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and cookie consent mechanisms, though some security headers could be improved. The absence of WHOIS data limits domain legitimacy verification, but the professional presentation and trust indicators support the firm's credibility. Overall, the website is a reliable digital asset for the business, supporting its market engagement and client communication effectively.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 100 · Low
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. 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
    • High

      SSL Certificate Expires Soon

      SSL certificate expires in 29 days

      What to do: Renew SSL certificate before expiration

      • NIS2 21(2)(h)
      • IR 2024/2690 9.2(c): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 9.2(c): Cryptography
      • NIST SC-17: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-17: Public Key Infrastructure Certificates

  2. Network security

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

    • High

      High-Risk Service Exposed: FTP

      Port 21 (FTP) is publicly accessible - FTP - Often unencrypted file transfer

      What to do: Consider restricting access to FTP or implementing strong authentication

      • 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

  3. 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

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

Keep watching fawcetts.co.uk

This scan found 18 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
49
Security headers
95
Email security
85
DNS health
70
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
80
Average
67

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

Fawcetts operates as a professional services firm with a focus on chartered accountancy and business advisory services. Their competitive advantage lies in their local reputation, experienced team, and membership in recognized professional groups. The firm targets a diverse client base including small businesses, owner-managed enterprises, charities, and educational institutions. Revenue streams likely derive from a mix of audit, tax, and advisory services. The partnership ecosystem includes software providers like Xero and professional networks such as UK200 Group. The website content and testimonials indicate strong client satisfaction and a growth-oriented approach. Strategic observations suggest a focus on personalized service and sector specialization to maintain market relevance.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a good security maturity level with enforced HTTPS and a cookie consent mechanism compliant with GDPR. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. However, explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options are not evident and should be implemented to enhance protection against common web attacks. There is no visible incident response or vulnerability disclosure information, which could be improved to demonstrate security readiness. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a professional services website but could benefit from additional hardening and transparency measures.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to strengthen web security.
  2. Establish and publish an incident response policy and vulnerability disclosure program to improve transparency and preparedness.
  3. Regularly audit and update all WordPress plugins and themes to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance accessibility features to improve usability for all users, including those with disabilities.
  5. Consider adding explicit data retention policies and privacy notices related to analytics and user data collection.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Fawcetts LLP
Registration number
OC416583
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Fawcetts LLP
Description
Fawcetts is one of Salisbury’s most established chartered firms, with five partners, four client directors and a team of 40 highly-qualified professionals offering accounting, audit, tax, payroll, and business advisory services.
Key services
Annual Accounts, Statutory Audits, Management Accounts, Financial IT Systems and Support, Bookkeeping, Raising Finance, Taxation, Payroll, Company Secretarial and Formations, Financial and Business Planning
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 6.9.4, PHP, jQuery 3.7.1, Slick Slider, FontAwesome, Yoast SEO plugin, Complianz GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, WPBakery Page Builder, Moneypenny live chat
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent mechanism implemented
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of reputable plugins and libraries

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Marketing tools
Moneypenny live chat
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking detected.
  2. Professional services firm with comprehensive service offerings and sector expertise.
  3. Strong privacy and cookie policies with consent management implemented.
  4. No visible security vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data.
  5. WHOIS data unavailable, limiting domain legitimacy verification.
  6. Use of modern web technologies and SEO best practices.
  7. Active social media presence linked in header and footer.
  8. Multiple client testimonials and trust indicators present.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress 6.9.4 with a modern tech stack including jQuery, Slick Slider, FontAwesome, and several plugins such as Yoast SEO and Complianz GDPR Cookie Consent. The site uses WPBakery Page Builder for layout management and integrates a live chat service via Moneypenny. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices in place. The technical infrastructure is typical for a professional services firm, balancing functionality and user experience. Opportunities exist to improve security headers and accessibility compliance. Hosting provider details are not explicitly identified from the content. Overall, the technical implementation supports the business goals effectively with room for incremental improvements.
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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