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Security report for guidestar.org

Candid · Non-profit · United States

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

Security score

65/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Candid, operating the GuideStar platform, is a leading nonprofit organization providing comprehensive data and insights on nonprofit entities primarily in the United States. The website serves donors, grantmakers, nonprofits, and businesses by offering detailed nonprofit profiles, IRS 990 forms, and data products including APIs and research tools. The platform is well-positioned in the nonprofit data market with strong partnerships and a large user base. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies such as Bootstrap, jQuery, Google Tag Manager, Segment Analytics, and Salesforce chat integration, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and SEO-friendly, supporting a positive user experience. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced and secure form handling, though some security headers and explicit security policies are not evident in the HTML content. Privacy and cookie policies are comprehensive and GDPR compliant, supporting good privacy practices. Overall, the website demonstrates high professionalism, trustworthiness, and business credibility, though WHOIS data is unavailable due to privacy protection. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing security policies, and adding vulnerability disclosure information to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of guidestar.org. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
58/ 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 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. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

  4. 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

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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
47
Security headers
35
Email security
75
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
58
Average
65

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

Candid's GuideStar platform holds a premier position in the nonprofit data sector, leveraging a nonprofit business model focused on data aggregation and distribution. Revenue streams likely include paid data products such as GuideStar Pro and API access, alongside free services to attract broad user engagement. The target audience spans donors, grantmakers, nonprofits, and businesses seeking reliable nonprofit data. The organization benefits from strong partnerships with major platforms like Meta, PayPal, and Salesforce, enhancing its ecosystem and reach. The website content and branding are consistent and professional, with trust signals including testimonials from reputable foundations and a Seal of Transparency. The absence of direct contact emails or phone numbers suggests a preference for controlled contact via web forms, aligning with nonprofit operational norms. Overall, Candid demonstrates a robust market presence with growth potential through data services and community engagement.

Security posture

The website exhibits a solid security posture with mandatory HTTPS encryption and secure form submission methods. Integration of third-party analytics and marketing tools is managed with user identification and consent mechanisms, indicating awareness of privacy compliance. However, the absence of visible security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP), HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), and X-Frame-Options represents an area for improvement. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. The lack of a published security policy or incident response page limits transparency regarding security governance and breach handling. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file is present, which could enhance responsible vulnerability reporting. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be elevated by adopting additional best practices and transparency measures.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce security headers including CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options to mitigate common web vulnerabilities.
  2. Publish a clear security policy and incident response plan accessible to users and stakeholders.
  3. Establish a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting of security issues.
  4. Enhance contact information with dedicated security or abuse email addresses to improve incident communication.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and dependencies to minimize risk from external libraries.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Candid
Description
GuideStar by Candid provides comprehensive nonprofit information including 501(c)(3) status, IRS 990 forms, nonprofit profiles, and data products to support donors, grantmakers, and businesses.
Key services
Nonprofit profile updates, GuideStar Pro research tools, Nonprofit data APIs, Nonprofit training and insights
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery, Bootstrap 4.5.3, Google Tag Manager, Segment Analytics, Visual Website Optimizer, Facebook Pixel, Salesforce Embedded Service Chat
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Google Tag Manager and Segment with user identification
  • Secure forms with POST method

Analytics and tracking

Services
Segment Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Visual Website Optimizer, Facebook Pixel
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Segment Analytics, Visual Website Optimizer
Marketing tools
Segment, Visual Website Optimizer, Salesforce Embedded Chat
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 focus on nonprofit data services and transparency.
  3. Multiple trusted third-party integrations for analytics and user engagement.
  4. No exposed sensitive data or security misconfigurations detected in HTML content.
  5. WHOIS data unavailable, but domain and website content strongly indicate legitimacy.
  6. Privacy and cookie policies are present and comprehensive.
  7. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found; contact is via web form.
  8. No explicit security policy or incident response information published.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern technology stack featuring Bootstrap 4.5.3 for responsive design, jQuery for DOM manipulation, and multiple analytics and marketing tools including Google Tag Manager, Segment Analytics, Visual Website Optimizer, and Facebook Pixel. Salesforce Embedded Service Chat is used for customer support. The site demonstrates good mobile optimization and accessibility features such as tooltips and popovers. Performance is moderate, with asynchronous loading of scripts and deferred CSS to improve load times. No CMS is explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or proprietary platform. Hosting provider details are not evident from the HTML content. The technical implementation supports a professional and user-friendly experience but could benefit from enhanced security header 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

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 63/100 −2Medium34 findingsView report
  2. 65/100Medium33 findingsView report
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