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Security report for hs-niederrhein.de

Hochschule Niederrhein · Education · Germany

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

64/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Hochschule Niederrhein is a large and reputable University of Applied Sciences in Germany, offering a wide range of Bachelor and Master degree programs with a strong emphasis on applied research and practical education. The institution serves a diverse audience including prospective students, current students, international participants, and academic staff. The website reflects a professional and modern digital presence built on TYPO3 CMS, integrating accessibility tools and comprehensive cookie consent mechanisms. Security measures such as HTTPS and Content Security Policy are implemented, indicating a mature security posture. No critical vulnerabilities or compliance gaps were detected, and the WHOIS data aligns well with the institution's identity, supporting legitimacy. Overall, the website is well-designed, trustworthy, and compliant with GDPR requirements.

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

5 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 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. 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 hs-niederrhein.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.

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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
67
Security headers
50
Email security
60
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
43
Average
64

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 hs-niederrhein.de, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
918
Employees
0
Customers
860
Third parties
58
Weak passwords
22%

42 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 hs-niederrhein.de.

Select it in the checkout above.

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

The Hochschule Niederrhein operates in the education sector, focusing on applied sciences and research. It holds system accreditation and participates in diversity and inclusion initiatives, enhancing its market position as a progressive academic institution. The university maintains active partnerships and collaborations, as evidenced by linked partner domains and participation in national campaigns. Its business model centers on delivering high-quality education, research, and continuing education services. The website's content and structure support clear communication with its target audience, including international students and academic collaborators.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid security posture with HTTPS enforced and a strict Content Security Policy. Cookie consent is managed via a comprehensive mechanism allowing users to opt-in or out of marketing and external content cookies. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were identified. However, additional security headers such as X-Frame-Options and Referrer-Policy could further enhance protection. There is no visible incident response or security policy page, nor a vulnerability disclosure mechanism like security.txt, which are recommended for improved transparency and readiness.

Recommendations

  1. Implement additional HTTP security headers (X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy) to strengthen defense against common web attacks.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to improve transparency and user trust.
  3. Introduce a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting of security issues.
  4. Regularly review and update third-party scripts and tracking tools to minimize potential vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance monitoring and logging capabilities to detect and respond to security incidents promptly.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Hochschule Niederrhein
Description
Entdecken Sie die Hochschule Niederrhein – Ihre erste Wahl für praxisnahe Studiengänge und Forschung in Deutschland. Informieren Sie sich über unser breites Angebot an Bachelor- und Masterstudiengängen, moderne Einrichtungen und internationale Kooperationen. Werden Sie Teil unserer innovativen Gemeinschaft und gestalten Sie Ihre Zukunft!
Key services
Bachelor and Master degree programs, Applied research and innovation, Continuing education and certificate courses, International cooperation and exchange, Student support and counseling
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
TYPO3 CMS, Bootstrap, jQuery, Matomo Analytics, eyeAble accessibility plugin, Cookieman cookie consent, JavaScript libraries for UI and forms
Frameworks
TYPO3 CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Content Security Policy implemented
  • Cookie consent with opt-in/out
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo, FacebookPixel
Marketing tools
Facebook Pixel, Matomo Analytics
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website uses TYPO3 CMS with modern frontend technologies.
  2. Strong focus on education, research, and community engagement.
  3. Comprehensive cookie consent and privacy policy in place.
  4. Multiple social media channels actively linked.
  5. Good security posture with CSP and HTTPS.
  6. No visible security or privacy red flags.
  7. Content is well-structured, professional, and accessible.
  8. WHOIS data supports legitimacy and consistency.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on TYPO3 CMS, leveraging Bootstrap and jQuery for frontend responsiveness and interactivity. Accessibility is enhanced through the eyeAble plugin, and cookie management is handled by Cookieman. Analytics are performed using Matomo and Google Tag Manager, with Facebook Pixel for marketing. The site is mobile-optimized and SEO-friendly with appropriate meta tags and Open Graph data. Performance is moderate, with room for optimization. The technical stack is modern and well-maintained, supporting a professional user experience. Hosting details are not explicitly identified, but the domain uses a nameserver consistent with German academic networks.
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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