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Security report for jisc.ac.uk

Jisc · Education · United Kingdom

Low risk. 1 critical or high finding in SSL/TLS.

Security score

86/100

Risk levelLow

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

Jisc is a UK-based organization focused on providing digital technology and data services to the tertiary education, research, and innovation sectors. The website demonstrates a strong market position as a leading provider of training, consultancy, connectivity, cloud, AI, cyber security, and data analytics services tailored for educational institutions. The digital infrastructure is modern, leveraging React, Next.js, and Material-UI, with integration of analytics and tracking tools such as Matomo, Google Analytics, and Hotjar, all managed with user consent mechanisms. Security posture is robust with HTTPS, Content Security Policy, and bot protection via hCaptcha, though explicit security policies and incident response details are not published. Overall, the website is professional, accessible, and trustworthy, supporting a large, established organization in the UK education sector.

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

1 finding 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 SSL Key Length

      SSL certificate uses 256-bit key, which is considered weak

      What to do: Use at least 2048-bit RSA or 256-bit ECC key

      • CWE-326
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • Mozilla TLS: Mozilla Server Side TLS 6.0 intermediate: rsa_key_size 2048

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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
70
Security headers
95
Email security
93
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
83
Average
86

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

Jisc operates as a non-profit membership organization serving UK education and research sectors, offering a broad portfolio of digital services and solutions. Their business model centers on enabling digital transformation and cost savings for members, evidenced by claims of £500 million in negotiated licensing savings. The organization hosts significant sector events and provides extensive training and consultancy. Their partnership ecosystem includes cloud providers and technology vendors, with a focus on innovation and AI adoption. The website content and structure reflect a mature digital presence aligned with their strategic goals and market leadership.

Security posture

The website employs strong security best practices including HTTPS, a detailed Content Security Policy with nonce and hash whitelisting, and bot mitigation via hCaptcha. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy, incident response plan, or vulnerability disclosure program represents a compliance gap. The use of multiple third-party analytics and tracking services is managed with cookie consent, supporting GDPR compliance. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be enhanced by publishing formal security governance documents and contact channels for security incidents.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response information on the website.
  2. Implement and publicize a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file.
  3. Provide clear contact details for the Data Protection Officer or security team.
  4. Regularly review and audit third-party scripts and tracking tools for security risks.
  5. Enhance transparency around data retention policies and user privacy controls.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Jisc
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Jisc
Description
Jisc leads the UK tertiary education, research and innovation sectors to pioneer the use of digital technology and data. They provide training, consultancy, connectivity, cloud, AI, cyber security, data analytics, licensing and procurement services to educational institutions.
Key services
Training, Consultancy, Connectivity, Cloud services, Artificial intelligence support, Cyber security, Data analytics, Licensing and procurement
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
React, Next.js, Material-UI, Google Fonts, YouTube embedded videos, Hotjar, Matomo analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, hCaptcha
Frameworks
React, Next.js, Material-UI
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Content Security Policy with nonce and hashes
  • Cookie consent mechanism
  • Use of hCaptcha for bot protection
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo, Google Analytics, Hotjar
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Hotjar, Matomo
Marketing tools
Visual Website Optimizer
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website uses modern React/Next.js framework with Material-UI styling.
  2. Strong focus on education and research digital services.
  3. Cookie consent banner present with clear options.
  4. Multiple external analytics and tracking services used with consent.
  5. No exposed sensitive data or obvious security issues in HTML.
  6. WHOIS data unavailable, likely due to privacy protection or registry restrictions.
  7. No explicit security policy or incident response info published.
  8. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt found.
  9. Contact information available via contact page and forms.
  10. Content is professional, well-structured, and accessible.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern React and Next.js framework with Material-UI for styling, ensuring responsive and accessible design. Hosting is on AWS with static assets served from S3, supporting scalability and performance. Integration with analytics platforms like Matomo and Google Analytics, along with Hotjar for user behavior insights, indicates a mature approach to data-driven optimization. The presence of a cookie consent banner and Content Security Policy reflects attention to privacy and security. Performance is moderate with room for optimization, but mobile and accessibility standards are well met. Technical risks are minimal, though reliance on multiple third-party scripts necessitates ongoing security vigilance.
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

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 86/100Low21 findingsView report
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