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Security report for heringen.de

Stadt Heringen (Werra) · Government · Germany

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 2 other checks.

Security score

54/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Stadt Heringen (Werra) is the official municipal government website serving the city of Heringen (Werra) in Germany. The site provides comprehensive information about city administration, local news, events, citizen services, and tourism. It targets residents, visitors, and local stakeholders, offering a broad range of public service information and resources. The website maintains a consistent and professional brand image aligned with its governmental role. Technically, the site employs a modern tech stack including Bootstrap for responsive design, jQuery, Font Awesome icons, and integrates Matomo analytics for privacy-conscious user tracking. It also uses Usercentrics for GDPR-compliant cookie consent management and EqualWeb for accessibility enhancements. The site is moderately performant and well-optimized for mobile devices, with good SEO and accessibility practices. From a security perspective, the website enforces HTTPS and uses a consent management platform to comply with privacy regulations. However, it lacks explicit HTTP security headers and does not publicly disclose a security policy or incident response contacts. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Overall, the security posture is solid but could be improved with additional headers and transparency. The website is safe for general audiences, containing no adult or questionable content. Contact information is clearly provided, including phone numbers and contact links. The domain WHOIS data aligns with the municipal nature of the site, showing consistent name servers and no privacy protection, supporting legitimacy. No WAF or blocking mechanisms interfere with content access. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing a security policy, and maintaining regular audits of third-party scripts to ensure ongoing security and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
85/ 100 · Low
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. 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 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

  4. Network security

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

    • High

      High-Risk Service Exposed: FTP

      Port 21 (FTP) is publicly accessible - FTP - Often unencrypted file transfer

      What to do: Consider restricting access to FTP or implementing strong authentication

      • 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

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

Keep watching heringen.de

This scan found 26 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
62
Security headers
25
Email security
70
DNS health
60
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
85
Average
54

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

Stadt Heringen (Werra) operates as a local government entity providing essential municipal services and information to its community. Its market position is that of a trusted public authority with a focus on transparency and citizen engagement. The business model is non-commercial, centered on public service delivery. Revenue streams are typical of municipal governments, likely funded by local taxes and government budgets. The target customer segments include residents, local businesses, tourists, and government employees. The website supports growth and community engagement through news updates, event calendars, and digital service offerings. Partnerships with local institutions such as museums, fire departments, and tourism boards are evident through linked domains, enhancing community integration and service breadth.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS and GDPR-compliant cookie consent via Usercentrics. The use of Matomo analytics reflects a privacy-conscious approach to user tracking. Accessibility features via EqualWeb indicate attention to inclusive design. However, the absence of explicit HTTP security headers such as Content Security Policy, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options represents an area for improvement. No incident response or security policy information is publicly available, which could hinder transparency and preparedness. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were identified in the analysis. Overall, the site is secure for its purpose but would benefit from enhanced security headers and published security policies to strengthen trust and resilience.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive HTTP security headers including CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
  2. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information on the website.
  3. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and libraries to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance transparency by providing terms of service and data protection officer contact details.
  5. Maintain and improve accessibility and privacy compliance measures to uphold user trust.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Stadt Heringen (Werra)
Description
Stadt Heringen (Werra) im Landkreis Hersfeld-Rotenburg in Osthessen. Official municipal website providing information about the city, administration, local news, events, and citizen services.
Key services
City administration information, Citizen services (Bürgerbüro), News and announcements, Event calendar, Public service forms and applications, Tourism information, Job postings, Waste management info
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery, Bootstrap, Font Awesome, Matomo Analytics, Usercentrics Consent Management, EqualWeb Accessibility
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced (base href uses https)
  • Consent management platform for GDPR compliance
  • Accessibility compliance scripts included

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Usercentrics CMP
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a municipal government site for Stadt Heringen (Werra) in Germany.
  2. Content is comprehensive with news, announcements, events, and citizen services.
  3. Good GDPR compliance with Usercentrics CMP and privacy policy.
  4. No signs of adult or questionable content.
  5. Uses Matomo for analytics, indicating privacy-conscious tracking.
  6. No visible security headers detected in HTML content; recommend adding.
  7. No terms of service page found.
  8. Contact information is clearly provided with phone numbers and contact links.
  9. Accessibility features implemented via EqualWeb.
  10. No WAF or blocking mechanisms detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a solid technical foundation with Bootstrap for responsive design and jQuery for interactivity. Font Awesome provides iconography, and Matomo is used for analytics, indicating a preference for privacy-friendly tools. Usercentrics CMP ensures GDPR cookie compliance, and EqualWeb scripts enhance accessibility. The site loads moderately fast with optimized images and minified CSS/JS. However, no CMS is explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or proprietary solution. Hosting details are not explicit but name servers indicate regional German providers. The site could improve by adding modern security headers and possibly adopting a CMS for easier content management and security updates.
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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