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Security report for herbstsoftware.com

Herbst Software Inc. · Manufacturing · Ireland

High risk. 12 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, SSL/TLS and 2 other checks.

Security score

29/100

Risk levelHigh

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

Herbst Software Inc. is a medium-sized Irish company specializing in providing comprehensive ERP and business management software solutions tailored for industries such as manufacturing, distribution, agriculture, food and beverage, and engineering. The company offers a suite of integrated services including mobile solutions, professional services, hosting, and kiosks, positioning itself as a trusted partner with a 40-year legacy in specific sectors like quarry and precast. Their website reflects a professional and consistent brand image, supported by customer testimonials and structured data indicating positive user ratings. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern plugins and frameworks such as WPBakery Page Builder, Bootstrap, and jQuery. It employs Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, and LinkedIn Insight Tag for analytics and marketing, alongside Google reCAPTCHA for form security. Hosting appears to be managed via SiteGround, and the site demonstrates good mobile optimization and SEO practices. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS with excellent SSL configuration and integrates cookie consent mechanisms compliant with GDPR. While no explicit security policy or incident response contacts are published, the site follows best practices such as anonymizing IPs in analytics and using reCAPTCHA. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Overall, Herbst Software presents a secure, professional, and user-friendly online presence with moderate to high privacy compliance. Strategic recommendations include publishing dedicated security and incident response policies, enhancing security headers, and adding a vulnerability disclosure program to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
10/ 100 · Critical
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

12 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

      No HTTPS encryption

      GDPR requires appropriate security measures for personal data

      What to do: Implement SSL/TLS certificate for HTTPS

  2. 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.

    • Critical

      No HTTPS Encryption

      Website does not use HTTPS encryption, making all data transmission vulnerable to interception

      What to do: Implement SSL/TLS certificate and redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS

  3. Network security

    Services reachable from the internet are the first thing attackers probe. Anything open that does not need to be should be closed.

    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: MySQL

      Port 3306 (MySQL) is publicly accessible - MySQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to MySQL using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection
    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: PostgreSQL

      Port 5432 (PostgreSQL) is publicly accessible - PostgreSQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to PostgreSQL using firewall or VPN

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection

  4. 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

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

Keep watching herbstsoftware.com

This scan found 23 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

€25per month

  • 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
0
Security headers
20
Email security
70
DNS health
75
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
10
Average
29

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 · found on this site
  • 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

Herbst Software holds a strong market position in Ireland and related regions, focusing on ERP solutions for niche industries with complex operational needs. Their competitive advantage lies in industry-specific modules such as credit control, weighbridge management, and traceability, supported by a long-standing presence and customer loyalty. The business model revolves around software sales, professional services, and hosting, targeting SMEs requiring integrated business management systems. The company leverages partnerships and digital marketing tools to expand reach and maintain customer engagement. Growth indicators include active content marketing via blogs and webinars, and a comprehensive customer portal. The company’s operations reflect a mature digital ecosystem with a focus on customer-centric solutions and continuous innovation.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, use of Google reCAPTCHA on forms, and a detailed cookie consent mechanism supporting GDPR compliance. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy, incident response contacts, and security headers such as Content-Security-Policy or X-Frame-Options indicates areas for improvement. The integration of third-party analytics and marketing scripts is managed with IP anonymization, reducing privacy risks. Overall, the security culture appears proactive but could benefit from enhanced transparency and formalized policies to meet higher compliance standards and incident readiness.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Add incident response contact channels such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Implement and configure security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  4. Establish a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and plugins to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Herbst Software Inc.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Herbst Software Inc.
Description
Herbst Software provides innovative and robust business software solutions designed to improve productivity, streamline operations, and optimize business processes for small and medium-sized enterprises. Their Herbst Distribution solution integrates business processes to improve efficiency and accuracy in inventory management, purchasing, order processing, demand planning, and delivery scheduling.
Key services
ERP Software, Mobile Solutions, Professional Services, Hosting Solutions, Kiosks
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, WPBakery Page Builder, jQuery, Bootstrap 4.4.1, Font Awesome 4.7.0, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, Google reCAPTCHA v3, Zendesk Web Widget, LinkedIn Insight Tag, SiteGround Optimizer
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Google reCAPTCHA integration on forms
  • Cookie consent banner with detailed preferences
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Google Tag Manager and analytics with IP anonymization

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight Tag, ZoomInfo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Ads
Tracking pixels
LinkedIn Insight Tag, ZoomInfo Pixel
Marketing tools
LinkedIn Insight Tag, ZoomInfo
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website uses HTTPS with good SSL configuration.
  2. Cookie consent mechanism is implemented with detailed categories.
  3. Multiple contact methods available including forms, emails, phone numbers, and physical addresses.
  4. No explicit privacy policy or terms of service pages found in the scanned content.
  5. Use of modern web technologies and analytics tools.
  6. No visible security vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data.
  7. Strong branding and consistent design.
  8. Customer testimonials present enhancing trust.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform enhanced with WPBakery Page Builder and Bootstrap for responsive design. It uses jQuery and Font Awesome for UI components and icons. Performance is moderate, with preloading and lazy loading techniques applied for images and scripts. The hosting environment is likely SiteGround, inferred from the optimizer plugin usage. SEO is well addressed with Yoast SEO plugin and structured data (JSON-LD) for software application and organization. Accessibility is basic but present, with ARIA labels and semantic HTML elements. The site integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools, including Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, LinkedIn Insight Tag, and ZoomInfo pixel, indicating a mature digital marketing infrastructure. Technical risks are minimal but include reliance on multiple third-party scripts which require ongoing monitoring.
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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