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Security report for hbksaar.de

Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar · Education · Germany

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

Security score

53/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar (HBKsaar) is a public higher education institution specializing in fine arts and design, located in Saarbrücken, Germany. The website serves as a comprehensive portal for prospective and current students, offering detailed information on academic programs, student services, events, and institutional news. The institution holds a solid regional position as an art university with a medium-sized footprint and a history dating back to 1970. Technically, the website is built on the Contao Open Source CMS platform, utilizing a range of front-end libraries including Bootstrap 3 and jQuery 1.11.2. While the site is generally well-structured, mobile-optimized, and accessible, some outdated libraries pose potential security risks. The hosting infrastructure appears to be university-affiliated, with nameservers linked to the German Research Network and Saarland University. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and employs cookie consent mechanisms, but lacks explicit security headers and uses an outdated jQuery version, which could expose it to vulnerabilities. No dedicated security or incident response policies are publicly available. Privacy compliance is strong, with a clear privacy policy and cookie management in place. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and serves its educational mission effectively. Strategic improvements in updating third-party libraries and enhancing security headers would further strengthen its security posture and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
43/ 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

6 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

  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 Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1
    • 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 hbksaar.de

This scan found 25 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
62
Security headers
65
Email security
60
DNS health
65
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
43
Average
53

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 hbksaar.de, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
349
Employees
16
Customers
103
Third parties
230
Weak passwords
14%

Latest record dated 2026-05-30 · 6 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 hbksaar.de.

Select it in the checkout above.

Masked preview

  • –www.hbksaar.de2026-05-30
  • –hbksaar.de2026-02-07
  • –hbksaar.de2026-01-12
  • –hbksaar.de2026-01-10
  • –www.hbksaar.de2025-11-13

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

HBKsaar operates as a specialized art university targeting students interested in fine arts, design, and related disciplines. Its business model is public education funded by government and tuition, focusing on academic excellence and cultural contribution. The institution maintains partnerships with related domains such as virtual tours and galleries, enhancing its educational offerings. The website reflects a stable market position within the German higher education sector, with clear branding and consistent messaging. Growth indicators include active event promotion and alumni engagement. The lack of commercial advertising and affiliate programs aligns with its non-profit educational status.

Security posture

The current security posture is moderate. HTTPS is enforced, and cookie consent is implemented, indicating awareness of privacy and security standards. However, the use of an outdated jQuery version introduces potential vulnerabilities. The absence of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options reduces defense-in-depth. No public incident response or security policy pages limit transparency. The login form uses POST method but lacks visible advanced protections like CAPTCHA or multi-factor authentication. Overall, the site is secure enough for informational purposes but would benefit from modernization and enhanced security controls.

Recommendations

  1. Update jQuery and other third-party libraries to current secure versions to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
  2. Implement standard security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
  3. Publish explicit security and incident response policies to improve transparency and preparedness.
  4. Enhance login security with multi-factor authentication and CAPTCHA to prevent automated attacks.
  5. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability scans to maintain a strong security posture.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar
Description
Design und Kunst studieren an der Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar in Saarbrücken. Angebote umfassen Kommunikationsdesign, Produktdesign, Media Art & Design, Kunsterziehung, Freie Kunst, Masterstudiengänge und mehr.
Key services
Academic degree programs in art and design, Student services including application portals and semester services, Events and exhibitions, International Office support
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 1.11.2, Bootstrap 3, Owl Carousel, Modernizr, Contao CMS, Font Awesome, Magnific Popup, Pace.js, jQuery Cookie
Frameworks
Contao Open Source CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of secure cookies (implied by cookie consent)
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Login form uses POST method

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Transparency
poor

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a public university art school site with comprehensive academic and service information.
  2. Content is in German with some English support links.
  3. No signs of malicious content or phishing.
  4. Cookie consent is implemented with options for external media.
  5. Login form present for user authentication.
  6. No explicit security or incident response policies found.
  7. No visible advertising or tracking scripts detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses Contao CMS with Bootstrap 3 and jQuery 1.11.2, indicating a somewhat dated but functional technology stack. Performance is moderate with standard front-end optimizations like lazy loading and responsive design. Accessibility features such as font size adjustment and contrast modes are implemented, reflecting good inclusivity practices. Hosting appears university-managed with reliable DNS infrastructure. The site lacks advanced analytics or marketing tools, focusing on content delivery. Opportunities exist to modernize the tech stack, improve performance, and enhance security configurations.
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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