Skip to main content

Security report for ibecacademy.ie

Ibec · Education · Ireland

Low risk. 3 critical or high findings in Security headers and GDPR outside view.

Security score

78/100

Risk levelLow

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

Ibec Academy is a professional education provider specializing in accredited and customised training programmes aimed at developing workforce skills in Ireland. The organization partners with Technological University Dublin to offer CPD-certified diplomas and certificates, targeting HR professionals, managers, and business leaders. The website demonstrates a strong market position with a focus on practical and applied learning, supported by client testimonials and ISO 9001:2015 certification. Technically, the site employs a modern tech stack including jQuery, Bootstrap, Google Analytics, and Hotjar, with a CMS platform identified as Ibcms. The site is mobile-optimized and provides a good user experience with clear navigation and professional design. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and captcha protections, though additional security headers could enhance defenses. Privacy compliance is well addressed with clear privacy and cookie policies and GDPR adherence. Overall, the site is trustworthy and professional, though the absence of WHOIS data limits domain trust evaluation. Strategic recommendations include improving security headers, verifying WHOIS data, and enhancing accessibility features.

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

3 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

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

Keep watching ibecacademy.ie

This scan found 17 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

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

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
100
Security headers
45
Email security
85
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
78

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

Ibec Academy operates within the education sector, focusing on workforce development through accredited and short training programmes. Its competitive advantage lies in its partnership with TU Dublin and its reputation within the Irish business community. The business model is service-oriented, delivering online and blended learning solutions. Revenue streams likely include course fees and customised training contracts. The target market includes HR professionals, managers, and organisations seeking compliance and leadership development. Growth indicators include a broad course catalogue and active client engagement. The partnership ecosystem includes Ibec and TU Dublin, enhancing credibility and reach. Operationally, the company maintains a professional online presence with strong branding and client testimonials, supporting market trust and expansion.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced site-wide and use of captcha mechanisms to protect forms. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP), HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), and X-Frame-Options suggests room for improvement. The use of third-party analytics and marketing tools is balanced with privacy compliance measures, including cookie consent and privacy policies. Incident response and vulnerability disclosure information are not publicly available, indicating a potential gap in transparency. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be enhanced by implementing additional headers and publishing security policies.

Recommendations

  1. Implement security headers including CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options to strengthen site security.
  2. Verify and publish WHOIS domain registration data to improve trust and transparency.
  3. Enhance accessibility features to meet higher standards and improve user inclusivity.
  4. Publish a clear incident response and vulnerability disclosure policy to demonstrate security readiness.
  5. Regularly audit third-party scripts and tracking tools to minimize privacy and security risks.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Ibec clg
Registration number
8706
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Ibec
Description
Ibec Academy specialises in developing 'people at work', offering applied and accredited professional development programmes in partnership with Technological University Dublin.
Key services
Accredited CPD certificate and diploma programmes, Short programmes, Customised training, Occupational Safety and Health training
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery, Bootstrap, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Hotjar, Intl-Tel-Input, Swiper, CKEditor
Frameworks
Bootstrap 3.3.5
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Captcha on forms
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Hotjar
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Hotjar
Marketing tools
Hotjar, ListenLayer
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking detected.
  2. Strong focus on accredited professional development and training.
  3. Multiple courses listed with detailed descriptions and structured data.
  4. Use of modern analytics and marketing tools with privacy compliance.
  5. Contact information clearly provided with physical address, phone, and email.
  6. ISO 9001:2015 certification displayed as quality assurance.
  7. No visible security headers detected; opportunity for improvement.
  8. WHOIS data missing, limiting domain trust analysis.
  9. No adult or questionable content detected; safe for general audience.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a CMS platform (Ibcms) and uses a combination of jQuery, Bootstrap 3.3.5, and modern JavaScript libraries for UI and analytics. It integrates Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Hotjar, and ListenLayer for tracking and marketing purposes. The site is mobile responsive with good SEO practices including meta tags and structured data (JSON-LD) for courses. Performance is moderate, with potential improvements in loading speed by optimizing third-party scripts. The technical infrastructure supports a professional and scalable education platform but could benefit from modernization of frameworks and enhanced 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

Reviews of this site

Share your experience with ibecacademy.ie. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review ibecacademy.ie.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.