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Security report for gelstudios.co.uk

GEL Studios Ltd · Other · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 2 other checks.

Security score

58/100

Risk levelMedium

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

GEL Studios Ltd is a purpose-led, B Corp certified creative agency based in Swindon, Wiltshire, founded in 2013. The company specializes in marketing, branding, graphic design, and website design services, targeting businesses seeking impactful creative solutions to drive ROI. Their market position is strengthened by multiple certifications including Cyber Essentials and Living Wage Employer, reflecting a commitment to quality and ethical business practices. The website presents a professional and consistent brand image with clear navigation and comprehensive content that effectively communicates their value proposition. Technically, the website employs modern analytics and tracking tools such as Google Analytics, Hotjar, and LinkedIn Insight Tag, alongside cookie consent management via Tarteaucitron, indicating a mature digital infrastructure. The site is mobile-optimized with good accessibility and SEO practices, although there is room for improvement in security headers implementation. The SSL configuration is excellent, ensuring secure communications. From a security perspective, the site demonstrates good practices with HTTPS enforcement and secure form handling, but lacks explicit security policies or incident response contacts. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The WHOIS data could not be retrieved due to querying the 'www' subdomain instead of the base domain, but the website's trust indicators and certifications support its legitimacy. Overall, GEL Studios presents a low-risk profile with strong business credibility and a well-implemented digital presence. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing a security policy, and adding vulnerability disclosure information to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
53/ 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

6 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 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 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 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 gelstudios.co.uk

This scan found 22 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.

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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
72
Security headers
60
Email security
75
DNS health
65
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
53
Average
58

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 gelstudios.co.uk, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for gelstudios.co.uk 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

GEL Studios operates as a small-sized creative agency focused on delivering integrated marketing, branding, graphic design, and web design services. Their B Corp certification and community impact initiatives position them favorably in the ethical business segment. The company leverages partnerships with recognized platforms such as SEMrush and maintains a presence on major social media channels to engage target audiences. Revenue streams likely derive from project-based creative services and ongoing client partnerships. The firm’s growth is supported by a decade-long track record and a portfolio showcasing diverse client work. Their strategic approach emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and measurable ROI, appealing to businesses seeking trusted creative partners. The absence of parent or subsidiary companies suggests independent operation with a focused market niche.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enabled and secure form handling practices. The use of cookie consent management aligns with GDPR compliance requirements. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options represents an area for improvement to mitigate risks like clickjacking and cross-site scripting. No incident response or security policy information is published, which could hinder timely communication in case of security events. The site uses reputable third-party analytics and tracking services, but continuous monitoring of these scripts is recommended to avoid supply chain risks. Overall, the security maturity is good but can be enhanced by adopting additional best practices and transparency measures.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to strengthen browser security.
  2. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and readiness.
  3. Add a vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting of security issues.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and tracking tools to minimize supply chain vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance monitoring and logging capabilities to detect and respond to potential security incidents promptly.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
GEL Studios Ltd
VAT number
GB 168646172
Registration number
08568805
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
GEL Studios Ltd
Description
We empower businesses with impactful marketing, website design, branding and graphic design solutions to deliver results, save time and drive ROI.
Key services
branding, graphic design, marketing, website design
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Hotjar, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Tarteaucitron (cookie consent), FontAwesome
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of cookie consent management
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure contact forms with validation

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Hotjar, LinkedIn Insight Tag
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
LinkedIn Insight Tag, Hotjar
Marketing tools
Hotjar, LinkedIn Insight Tag
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 professional design.
  2. Strong branding and consistent messaging throughout the site.
  3. Multiple contact methods including phone, email, and forms are clearly presented.
  4. Use of modern tracking and analytics tools with cookie consent management.
  5. Certifications and accreditations prominently displayed, enhancing trust.
  6. No visible security headers detected; opportunity for improvement.
  7. WHOIS data unavailable due to query on 'www' subdomain, not base domain.
  8. No signs of adult or questionable content; safe for general audiences.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built with modern web technologies and integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools such as Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Hotjar, and LinkedIn Insight Tag. Cookie consent is managed via Tarteaucitron, indicating compliance with privacy regulations. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and good accessibility features. Performance is moderate, with asynchronous loading of scripts to improve page load times. No CMS is explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or static site architecture. The lack of detected security headers is a technical gap. Hosting provider details are not discernible from the content. Overall, the technical implementation supports a professional user experience but could benefit from enhanced security configurations and performance optimizations.
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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