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Security report for innovation-beratung-foerderung.de

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie · Government · Germany

Medium risk. 2 critical or high findings in Security headers and SSL/TLS.

Security score

73/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The website innovation-beratung-foerderung.de is an official German government portal managed by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy). It provides comprehensive information and support on innovation funding programs such as go-inno, INNO-KOM, and WIPANO, targeting researchers, entrepreneurs, SMEs, and public research institutions in Germany. The site serves as a key resource for accessing government-backed innovation consulting and funding services. From a technical perspective, the site employs a range of JavaScript libraries including jQuery 1.8.3, jwplayer, and eTracker analytics. It is hosted on managed IP infrastructure with HTTPS enforced, ensuring secure communication. The website is mobile-optimized and accessible, with good SEO practices and clear navigation. However, some technologies like the older jQuery version could be updated to improve security. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and cookie consent mechanisms in place, including explicit user consent for video services. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Privacy compliance is strong, with a comprehensive privacy policy and a named data protection officer contact. However, the site could enhance security by implementing additional HTTP security headers and publishing a security policy or incident response contact. Overall, the website is trustworthy, professional, and well-aligned with its government mandate. It effectively balances user privacy, security, and accessibility. Strategic recommendations include updating legacy libraries, enhancing security headers, and formalizing vulnerability disclosure processes to further strengthen the security posture.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
95/ 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

2 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 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

  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.

    • 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 innovation-beratung-foerderung.de

This scan found 22 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
45
Email security
70
DNS health
60
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
95
Average
73

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

The Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie operates this portal as a government service to promote innovation and economic growth in Germany. Its market position is authoritative as the official source for innovation funding and consulting programs. The business model is non-commercial, focusing on public service and information dissemination. Key services include funding program details, consulting, best practice showcases, and event announcements. The target audience comprises SMEs, researchers, and public institutions seeking innovation support. The site demonstrates consistent branding and high content quality, reinforcing trust and credibility. Partnerships with other government domains and external platforms like foerderinfo.bund.de enhance its ecosystem. Growth indicators include regular updates to news and events, reflecting active program management.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS, cookie consent management, and no visible sensitive data leaks. The use of eTracker analytics respects privacy with cookie blocking and Do Not Track compliance. However, the presence of an outdated jQuery version (1.8.3) could pose potential risks if not properly patched. The absence of explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy or X-Frame-Options is a minor gap. No incident response or security policy pages were found, which could limit transparency in vulnerability handling. The data protection officer contact is clearly provided, supporting GDPR compliance. Overall, the site is secure for its purpose but could improve by adopting modern security headers and publishing a vulnerability disclosure policy.

Recommendations

  1. Update jQuery and other JavaScript libraries to current secure versions to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  2. Implement HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  3. Publish a formal security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and readiness.
  4. Add a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability disclosure and improve security culture.
  5. Continue maintaining and enhancing privacy compliance mechanisms, including clear cookie consent and data protection officer accessibility.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie
Description
Website of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy providing information and support on innovation, consulting, and funding programs such as go-inno, INNO-KOM, and WIPANO.
Key services
Information on innovation funding programs, Consulting services, Access to funding models like go-inno, INNO-KOM, WIPANO, Publication of news, events, and best practice examples
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 1.8.3, jQuery Tools, jQuery Easing, jwplayer 7.6.1, AnythingSlider, Superfish, jQuery bxSlider, jQuery UI 1.9.2, eTracker analytics
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced (implied by https URLs)
  • Cookie consent banner with opt-in for video service
  • No exposed sensitive data found in HTML
  • Use of secure video player with explicit consent

Analytics and tracking

Services
eTracker
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
eTracker
Marketing tools
eTracker
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is an official German government portal for innovation funding and consulting.
  2. Content is comprehensive and well-structured with clear navigation.
  3. Privacy and cookie policies are implemented with explicit consent mechanisms.
  4. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity detected.
  5. Use of older jQuery version (1.8.3) may pose minor security risks but no direct vulnerabilities found.
  6. No explicit security headers detected in HTML source; potential area for improvement.
  7. No phone numbers or physical addresses explicitly found in the provided content.
  8. Contact primarily via email and contact forms.
  9. No terms of service page detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a traditional web stack with multiple JavaScript libraries including jQuery 1.8.3, jwplayer 7.6.1 for video playback, and eTracker for analytics. The site is hosted on managed IP servers with multiple name servers indicating a stable hosting environment. Responsive CSS stylesheets and accessibility features are implemented, supporting mobile and diverse user needs. Performance is moderate, with no major issues detected but potential for optimization exists. The CMS is not explicitly identified, suggesting a custom or proprietary solution. The site uses canonical URLs and Open Graph meta tags for SEO. Overall, the technical infrastructure is solid but could benefit from modernization of libraries and enhanced security headers.
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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