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Security report for goethe.de

Goethe-Institut · Education · Germany

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

Security score

73/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Goethe-Institut is a globally recognized cultural and educational institution of the Federal Republic of Germany, dedicated to promoting the German language and fostering international cultural exchange. With a presence in 99 countries and 150 institutes worldwide, it offers German language courses, examinations, cultural programs, and support for migration and integration. The website reflects this global reach with localized content and extensive service offerings. Technically, the site employs modern web technologies including jQuery, Bootstrap, and a consent management platform, hosted on Microsoft Azure DNS infrastructure, ensuring fast performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforcement, security headers, and privacy compliance, including GDPR adherence and cookie consent mechanisms. No critical vulnerabilities or blocking mechanisms were detected, indicating a mature and secure digital presence. Overall, the Goethe-Institut website demonstrates high professionalism, trustworthiness, and effective communication of its mission and services.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
28/ 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

5 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. GDPR outside view

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

    • Critical

      EU business without adequate privacy measures

      EU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements

      What to do: Implement comprehensive GDPR compliance including privacy policy, cookie consent, and data protection measures

    • 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

  2. 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 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';…

  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 goethe.de

This scan found 17 issues across 5 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
67
Security headers
70
Email security
100
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
28
Average
73

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 goethe.de, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
71,821
Employees
187
Customers
71,071
Third parties
563
Weak passwords
9%

Latest record dated 2026-06-17 · 111 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 goethe.de.

Select it in the checkout above.

Masked preview

  • –owa.goethe.de2026-06-17
  • –login.goethe.de2026-06-17
  • –adfs.goethe.de2026-06-10
  • –owa.goethe.de2026-06-10
  • –adfs.goethe.de2026-06-08

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Open in Breach(opens in a new tab)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

The Goethe-Institut holds a leading position in the education and cultural sector, operating as a non-profit organization with a focus on language education and cultural diplomacy. Its business model revolves around providing language courses, certification exams, and cultural programs to a diverse international audience including learners, educators, migrants, and professionals. The organization benefits from a strong brand, institutional trust, and a broad partnership ecosystem. Revenue streams likely include course fees, examination fees, and government funding. The website's multilingual and region-specific content supports its global strategy. The absence of direct phone contacts on the main page suggests a preference for digital communication channels. The Goethe-Institut's strategic focus on migration and integration programs aligns with current socio-political priorities, enhancing its relevance and growth potential.

Security posture

The website exhibits a robust security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and a consent management platform ensuring GDPR compliance. The use of CAS SSO for login indicates secure authentication practices. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed content. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy or incident response information and lack of a security.txt file represent areas for improvement in transparency and vulnerability management. The integration of third-party analytics and tracking tools is managed with user consent, balancing data collection with privacy. Overall, the security maturity is high, suitable for a public institution handling user data and online services.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to enhance transparency and user trust.
  2. Implement and publish a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability disclosure.
  3. Regularly review and update third-party scripts and libraries to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance accessibility features to meet or exceed WCAG standards for broader inclusivity.
  5. Maintain and monitor consent management mechanisms to ensure ongoing GDPR compliance.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Goethe-Institut
Description
Das weltweit tätige Kulturinstitut der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Deutschkurse, interkulturelle Begegnungen, Informationen über Deutschland.
Key services
German language courses, German language examinations, Cultural programs and events, Support for migration and integration, Teacher training and educational resources
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 3.6.3, Bootstrap 5.1.3, Swiper.js, Usercentrics CMP, Google Tag Manager, Webtrekk Analytics
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • Consent management platform for cookies
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure login via CAS SSO

Analytics and tracking

Services
Webtrekk, Mapp Intelligence
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Webtrekk, Mapp Intelligence
Marketing tools
Usercentrics CMP
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 no blocking or WAF challenges.
  2. Comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent management implemented.
  3. Strong branding and consistent professional design.
  4. Extensive global presence with localized course and exam offerings.
  5. Use of modern web technologies and analytics tools with privacy considerations.
  6. No security or privacy critical issues detected.
  7. No vulnerability disclosure or security policy pages found, which could be improved.
  8. No explicit contact phone numbers found in the provided content; email contact is available.
  9. Social media presence is verified and linked in structured data.
Technical notes

Notes

The Goethe-Institut website is built on a modern technology stack including jQuery, Bootstrap, and Swiper.js, supported by a CONTENS CMS backend. Hosting is managed via Microsoft Azure DNS, providing reliable and scalable infrastructure. The site demonstrates fast loading times, excellent mobile responsiveness, and good SEO practices with proper meta tags and structured data. Accessibility is addressed but could be further improved. The integration of Usercentrics CMP and Google Tag Manager reflects a mature approach to privacy and analytics. No technical debt or deprecated technologies were observed, indicating ongoing maintenance and modernization efforts. The site architecture supports a complex global presence with localized content and multiple service offerings.
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. 73/100Medium25 findingsView report
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