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Security report for femaughan.co.uk

F.E. Maughan Limited · Retail · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 8 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

57/100

Risk levelMedium

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

F.E. Maughan Limited is a well-established retail and e-commerce business specializing in DIY, building materials, and garden accessories, serving the Newcastle area for over 80 years. The company operates physical stores in Whitley Bay and Holystone and maintains a BigCommerce-powered online store to reach a broader audience. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand presence with clear navigation and relevant content tailored to DIY enthusiasts and local customers. Technically, the website leverages modern e-commerce technologies including BigCommerce's Stencil framework, Google Analytics, and Facebook Pixel for marketing and analytics. The site is hosted by 20i Ltd and employs HTTPS with appropriate security headers, indicating a solid technical foundation. Mobile optimization and SEO practices are adequately implemented, though accessibility features could be improved. From a security perspective, the site demonstrates good practices such as HTTPS enforcement and security headers but lacks explicit published security policies, incident response contacts, and GDPR cookie consent mechanisms. No vulnerabilities or suspicious activities were detected in the content or scripts. The WHOIS data confirms the domain's legitimacy and consistency with the business claims. Overall, the website presents a low-risk profile with good business credibility and technical implementation. Strategic improvements in privacy compliance and security transparency would enhance trust and regulatory adherence.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
35/ 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

8 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

      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

  2. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Privacy Policy found

      GDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy

      What to do: Add a comprehensive privacy policy page and link to it prominently

    • 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

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

Keep watching femaughan.co.uk

This scan found 28 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
49
Security headers
40
Email security
55
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
35
Average
57

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

F.E. Maughan Limited holds a strong position as a local hardware and building materials supplier with a long-standing history. Its business model combines traditional retail with e-commerce, targeting DIY consumers and local tradespeople. The company offers a wide range of products including garden accessories, tools, and building materials, supported by a comprehensive online catalog. The presence of multiple physical locations and a branded online store suggests stable revenue streams and customer loyalty. The use of major brands and a variety of product categories indicates a diversified offering. The company’s digital ecosystem includes partnerships with BigCommerce and marketing integrations with Google and Facebook, supporting growth and customer engagement. No evidence of parent or subsidiary companies was found, indicating an independent operation.

Security posture

The website maintains a good security posture with HTTPS enabled and multiple security headers in place, reducing risks of common web attacks. The use of BigCommerce platform provides inherent security features such as secure payment processing and form protections. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy, incident response plan, or vulnerability disclosure program limits transparency and preparedness. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. Tracking scripts are standard but should be regularly audited to prevent privacy risks. GDPR compliance is partial due to missing cookie consent mechanisms. Overall, the security maturity is moderate to good but could benefit from enhanced policy disclosures and privacy controls.

Recommendations

  1. Implement a clear cookie consent banner to comply with GDPR and enhance user privacy transparency.
  2. Publish a comprehensive security policy and incident response contact information on the website.
  3. Establish a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Enhance website accessibility features to meet WCAG standards and improve user inclusivity.
  5. Regularly review and update third-party scripts and tracking tools to mitigate privacy and security risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
F.E. Maughan Limited
Description
DIY and building materials from F E Maughan, serving Newcastle for 80 years from hardware store at Whitley Bay and Holystone depot.
Key services
Retail sales of building materials, Garden accessories, Hardware store services, Online product catalog and ordering
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
BigCommerce, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Google Fonts, JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3
Frameworks
Stencil (BigCommerce theme framework)
Platforms
BigCommerce
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 CSRF tokens (implied by platform)

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a well-established local retail and e-commerce platform for building materials and garden accessories.
  2. Uses BigCommerce platform with standard e-commerce features and tracking.
  3. No explicit privacy or cookie consent mechanisms detected, which may impact GDPR compliance.
  4. Security posture is good with HTTPS and security headers but lacks explicit security policies.
  5. Contact information is present but no direct email addresses found in HTML; phone numbers are clearly displayed.
  6. No suspicious or malicious content detected.
  7. Content is safe and appropriate for general audiences.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on the BigCommerce platform using the Stencil theme framework, which provides a modern and scalable e-commerce infrastructure. It integrates Google Fonts for typography and uses Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel for marketing analytics and retargeting. The site is hosted by 20i Ltd, a reputable UK hosting provider. Performance is moderate with asynchronous loading of scripts and responsive design for mobile devices. SEO is supported by proper meta tags and structured navigation. Accessibility is basic, with room for improvement in ARIA roles and keyboard navigation. The technical stack is current and well-maintained, minimizing technical debt and supporting business continuity.
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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