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Security report for horsedeals.com.au

Horse Deals · Retail · Australia

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

56/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Horse Deals is an established Australian online marketplace specializing in equine classifieds, including horses for sale, transport, property, and stallions at stud. The platform also offers magazine and video content, targeting horse owners, buyers, and enthusiasts across Australia. The business operates a multi-faceted e-commerce and classifieds model, positioning itself as a comprehensive resource for the equine community. Technically, the website leverages modern web technologies such as React, integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools including Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Microsoft Clarity, and maintains a secure HTTPS environment with appropriate security headers. The security posture is strong with no evident vulnerabilities, though there is room for improvement in publishing explicit security policies and incident response contacts. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear privacy and cookie policies and consent mechanisms. Overall, the website demonstrates a professional and trustworthy online presence with good user experience and content relevance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 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

4 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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

      Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

      Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

      What to do: Check if the server is accessible and SSL/TLS is properly configured

  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 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';…

  3. 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

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

Keep watching horsedeals.com.au

This scan found 20 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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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
0
Security headers
30
Email security
70
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
56

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

Horse Deals operates in the retail and transportation sectors within the equine industry, serving a niche market of horse owners and related service seekers in Australia. The business model centers on online classifieds and e-commerce, generating revenue through listing fees and shop sales. The company maintains active social media channels and uses affiliate marketing programs such as Commission Factory. The platform's market position is solid within its niche, supported by comprehensive content and a broad range of services. Growth potential exists through enhanced digital marketing and expanded service offerings. The partnership ecosystem includes advertising and analytics providers but no identified subsidiaries or parent companies.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and no exposed sensitive data. The use of multiple third-party scripts introduces some risk, but these are standard industry tools. There is no publicly available dedicated security policy or incident response contact, which could be improved to enhance transparency and readiness. Privacy policies are comprehensive and GDPR compliant, indicating good data protection practices. No vulnerabilities or malware indicators were detected. The security score is high, reflecting good implementation of best practices.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and controls.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact information such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Regularly review and audit third-party scripts to minimize potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance website accessibility features to improve compliance and user experience.
  5. Consider establishing a formal vulnerability disclosure program to encourage responsible reporting.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Horse Deals
Description
Australia's home of everything equine. Search thousands of quality horses for sale. Sell your horse from as little as $49, with horses $5,000 and under free to sell. Also offers transport for sale, property for sale, and stallions at stud.
Key services
Horse classifieds, Transport classifieds, Property listings, Magazine and video content, Online shop for equine products
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Google Fonts, HubSpot, New Relic, Microsoft Clarity, DotMetrics, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Criteo, DoubleClick, WebManifest
Frameworks
React
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Content Security Policy present
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, HubSpot Analytics
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
DoubleClick, Criteo
Tracking pixels
HubSpot, Microsoft Clarity, Facebook Pixel
Marketing tools
HubSpot
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenge.
  2. WHOIS data is limited and privacy protected, common for commercial sites.
  3. Site uses modern JavaScript frameworks and analytics tools.
  4. Privacy and cookie policies are present with consent mechanisms.
  5. No direct contact phone numbers found; contact via form and social media.
  6. Security headers and HTTPS are properly implemented.
  7. Advertising and tracking scripts are extensive but standard for e-commerce.
  8. Content is focused on equine classifieds and related services in Australia.
  9. No adult or NSFW content detected.
  10. Site branding and design are consistent and professional.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern React framework with a modular JavaScript architecture. It uses Google Fonts for typography and integrates multiple analytics and marketing platforms including HubSpot, Microsoft Clarity, Google Analytics, and Criteo. The site is served over HTTPS with strong security headers, indicating good hosting and infrastructure practices. Performance is moderate, with deferred loading of scripts and responsive design for mobile devices. The CMS appears custom or proprietary, with no common CMS detected. Opportunities exist to optimize performance further and improve accessibility compliance.
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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