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Security report for kirknewsholme.co.uk

Kirk Newsholme · Finance · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 2 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS and Network security.

Security score

67/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Kirk Newsholme is an independent firm of chartered accountants, business advisors, and tax specialists based in Leeds, Yorkshire. The company offers a broad range of professional services including audit, tax planning, payroll, business outsourcing, financial planning, and cloud accounting. Positioned as a trusted regional player, Kirk Newsholme emphasizes personalized client relationships and comprehensive financial solutions, including a dedicated financial planning subsidiary. The website reflects a mature digital presence with modern WordPress infrastructure, SEO optimization, and user-friendly design. Security measures such as HTTPS, reCAPTCHA, and cookie consent are implemented, though additional HTTP security headers and incident response information could enhance their posture. WHOIS data is incomplete and inconsistent due to domain registration query issues, but the website content and business information strongly support legitimacy. Overall, the firm demonstrates a professional, secure, and privacy-compliant online presence suitable for its target audience of businesses and individuals in the UK.

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. 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. Network security

    Services reachable from the internet are the first thing attackers probe. Anything open that does not need to be should be closed.

    • High

      High-Risk Service Exposed: FTP

      Port 21 (FTP) is publicly accessible - FTP - Often unencrypted file transfer

      What to do: Consider restricting access to FTP or implementing strong authentication

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection

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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
59
Security headers
95
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
95
Average
67

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 firm holds a solid market position as a medium-sized accounting and advisory service provider with a focus on Yorkshire and Leeds. Their competitive advantage lies in personalized service, a wide service portfolio, and strong client testimonials. Revenue streams likely include audit, tax compliance, payroll services, financial planning, and business advisory. The target customer segments range from startups and SMEs to larger corporate clients across multiple sectors including manufacturing, legal, construction, and IT. The partnership ecosystem includes financial planning subsidiaries and technology partners such as Sage, Xero, and FreeAgent. Strategic observations highlight a focus on client trust, compliance, and digital engagement through content marketing and social media.

Security posture

The website exhibits a good security maturity level with enforced HTTPS, use of reCAPTCHA on forms, and GDPR-compliant cookie consent mechanisms. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. However, the absence of explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options suggests room for improvement. There is no visible incident response or security policy page, which could be a compliance gap. The firm should consider publishing a security.txt file and enhancing transparency around security practices. Overall, the security posture is solid for a professional services website but could be strengthened to meet higher standards and regulatory requirements.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive HTTP security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, and Referrer-Policy.
  2. Publish a clear security policy and incident response information accessible from the website footer or dedicated page.
  3. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to ensure up-to-date protection.
  4. Enhance transparency by adding a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability disclosure.
  5. Maintain timely updates of WordPress core, themes, and plugins to mitigate known vulnerabilities.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Kirk Newsholme
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Kirk Newsholme
Description
Independent firm of chartered accountants, business advisors and tax specialists in Yorkshire.
Key services
Audit & Accounting Services, Tax Planning Services, Business Outsourcing Services, Payroll Services, Financial Planning, Business Development & Training, Cloud Accounting, Making Tax Digital
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 7.0, Gravity Forms, Yoast SEO, Google Tag Manager, Font Awesome 6.5.0, jQuery 3.7.1, Slick Slider, Complianz GDPR plugin, Sassy Social Share
Frameworks
WPBakery Page Builder
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • reCAPTCHA on forms
  • Cookie consent banner with opt-in
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager)
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Marketing tools
Complianz GDPR Cookie Consent, Sassy Social Share
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking detected.
  2. Professional accounting firm with comprehensive service offerings and strong regional focus.
  3. Good privacy and cookie compliance with explicit consent mechanisms.
  4. Use of modern WordPress technologies and plugins for SEO, forms, and analytics.
  5. Security posture is good but could be improved with additional HTTP headers and incident response info.
  6. WHOIS data is incomplete and indicates domain registration issues, possibly due to querying the 'www' subdomain.
  7. Strong trust indicators including client testimonials, certifications, and social proof.
  8. No adult or questionable content detected; site is safe for general audiences.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress 7.0 with a modern tech stack including Gravity Forms for data collection, Yoast SEO for search optimization, and Google Tag Manager for analytics. The use of WPBakery Page Builder and Slick Slider enhances content presentation and user experience. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and accessibility features. The site uses multiple third-party integrations for social sharing, cookie compliance, and analytics. Technical risks include potential outdated plugins or missing security headers. Hosting provider details are not explicit but the site uses HTTPS and standard CDN resources. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports a professional and scalable online presence with opportunities for security and performance enhancements.
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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