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Security report for instinctfinancialsolutions.co.uk

Instinct Financial Solutions Limited · Finance · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS and Security headers.

Security score

69/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Instinct Financial Solutions Limited is a UK-based financial advisory firm specializing in mortgage and insurance services. The company offers expert, unbiased mortgage advice and insurance solutions tailored to individual client needs, primarily serving customers in the North East of England and beyond. Their business model focuses on personalized advisory services supported by digital tools such as mortgage calculators and credit report integrations. The firm is an appointed representative of Sesame Ltd, regulated by the FCA, which enhances its market credibility. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including Bootstrap, jQuery, Google reCAPTCHA, and Cookiebot for privacy compliance. The site is mobile-optimized and provides a good user experience with clear navigation and interactive features such as modals for credit reports and mortgage advice requests. However, some security best practices like explicit security headers are missing, and the WHOIS data for the domain is unavailable due to a naming rules violation error, which is unusual and warrants further investigation. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS and integrates Google reCAPTCHA to protect forms from abuse. Cookie consent mechanisms are implemented in compliance with GDPR principles. Despite these strengths, the absence of visible security headers and lack of published security or incident response policies represent areas for improvement. The WHOIS inconsistency slightly reduces trust but does not negate the overall professionalism and legitimacy of the business. Overall, the website presents a trustworthy and professional front for a small financial advisory firm with good digital maturity. Strategic improvements in security posture and transparency around privacy policies would enhance compliance and user trust further.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
83/ 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

3 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.

    • 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

  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';…

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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
69
Security headers
25
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
83
Average
69

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

Instinct Financial Solutions operates in the competitive UK mortgage and insurance advisory market, leveraging its FCA regulation and affiliation with Sesame Ltd to build trust. The company targets individual consumers seeking mortgage and insurance advice, including first-time buyers and property investors. Revenue streams likely include commissions from lenders and insurance providers, as well as fees for advisory services. The firm maintains an active online presence with integrated tools and social media engagement, indicating a focus on digital client acquisition and service delivery. Partnerships with credit reporting services and use of affiliate marketing demonstrate a diversified approach to client support and lead generation. The business appears stable and regionally focused with potential for growth through enhanced digital marketing and expanded service offerings.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS enforced and Google reCAPTCHA protecting user input forms. Cookie consent is actively managed via Cookiebot, indicating GDPR awareness. However, the lack of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and Strict-Transport-Security reduces the overall security posture. No incident response or security policy documents are published, which may impact compliance with regulations like GDPR and NIS2. The WHOIS data anomaly is a concern but does not directly indicate compromise. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the provided content. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a small financial advisory website but could be significantly improved with better header management, published policies, and regular security audits.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  2. Publish a clear and accessible privacy policy and terms of service pages to improve transparency and regulatory compliance.
  3. Establish and publish an incident response policy and contact channels to demonstrate readiness and build user trust.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party libraries and scripts to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  5. Investigate and resolve the WHOIS data inconsistency to improve domain trustworthiness and legitimacy.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Instinct Financial Solutions Limited
Registration number
09487631
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Instinct Financial Solutions Limited
Description
The home of unbiased expert mortgage advice seven days a week. Highly rated mortgage advisers guiding and supporting clients through mortgage and insurance needs.
Key services
Mortgage Advice, Insurance Advice, Mortgage Calculators, Credit Report Services
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Bootstrap 5.2.2, jQuery 3.7.0, Google reCAPTCHA v2 and Enterprise, EmailJS, Facebook SDK, Cookiebot
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
65/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of HTTPS implied by Google reCAPTCHA and external scripts
  • Google reCAPTCHA integration for form protection
  • Cookie consent banner implemented

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google AdSense
Marketing tools
Facebook Pixel
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 rich content and interactive features
  2. Strong cookie consent and privacy mechanisms implemented
  3. Multiple contact methods clearly provided including phone, email, and contact form
  4. Use of modern web technologies and frameworks
  5. No visible security headers in provided data, improvement needed
  6. WHOIS data unavailable, unusual for .co.uk domain
  7. Business is FCA regulated and affiliated with Sesame Ltd
  8. Social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
  9. No privacy policy page explicitly found
  10. No terms of service page explicitly found
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern technology stack featuring Bootstrap 5.2.2 for responsive design, jQuery 3.7.0 for DOM manipulation, and Google reCAPTCHA for bot protection. EmailJS is used for form submission handling, and Facebook SDK enables social media chat integration. Cookiebot manages cookie consent, ensuring GDPR compliance. The site loads external resources from reputable CDNs, contributing to moderate performance. Mobile optimization is good, with responsive navigation and accessible modals. However, no CMS or hosting provider information is discernible from the content. The absence of security headers and incomplete WHOIS data represent technical risks. Overall, the infrastructure supports a professional user experience but would benefit from enhanced security configurations and transparency.
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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