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Security report for livingms.at

Merck GmbH · Healthcare · Austria

Partial score · DNS & email only

60/100

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

Living MS is a healthcare information website focused on Multiple Sclerosis, providing educational content, support resources, and service information for MS patients and their families. The site is branded and operated by Merck GmbH, a pharmaceutical company, indicating a strong market position in healthcare and patient support. The platform targets German-speaking users in Austria and offers comprehensive information on MS symptoms, diagnosis, therapies, and living with the disease. It also provides a dedicated service line for medication injection device replacement. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using Elementor and Yoast SEO plugins, supported by modern analytics tools like Google Tag Manager and Adobe Analytics. The site demonstrates good digital maturity with mobile optimization, accessibility features, and SEO best practices. Cookie consent and privacy compliance are well implemented, reflecting adherence to GDPR requirements. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS with good SSL configuration and employs cookie consent mechanisms. However, explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options are not detected, and no security.txt or incident response contacts are provided. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found in the analysis. Overall, the website presents a professional, trustworthy, and compliant digital presence for a healthcare information service. The lack of WHOIS data limits domain trust verification, but the strong branding and external partnerships support legitimacy. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, adding vulnerability disclosure information, and maintaining regular security audits.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
85/ 100 · Low
Checks completed
6of 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

4 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.

    • Critical

      Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

      Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

      What to do: Check if the server is accessible and SSL/TLS is properly configured

  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

  3. DNS health

    DNS sends visitors and email to the right servers. Misconfigured records can cause outages or let someone redirect your traffic.

    • High

      Unregistered MX Record

      MX record points to unregistered domain: bckmail.sanvartis.de

      What to do: Remove or fix MX record pointing to unregistered domain

      • RFC 5321 §5.1
      • NIS2 21(2)(i)
      • IR 2024/2690 12.4: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 12.4: Asset inventory
      • NIST CM-8: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-8: System Component Inventory
    • High

      Unregistered MX Record

      MX record points to unregistered domain: prdmail.sanvartis.de

      What to do: Remove or fix MX record pointing to unregistered domain

      • RFC 5321 §5.1
      • NIS2 21(2)(i)
      • IR 2024/2690 12.4: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 12.4: Asset inventory
      • NIST CM-8: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-8: System Component Inventory

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

Keep watching livingms.at

This scan found 13 issues across 5 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.

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Full report

€39.90one-time

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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
0
Email security
70
DNS health
45
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
85
Average
60

Not counted

  • Security headers: did not complete in this scan.
  • 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

Living MS operates as an essential healthcare information platform backed by Merck GmbH, targeting MS patients and their support networks in Austria. The business model focuses on education, patient empowerment, and support services, leveraging pharmaceutical expertise. The site links to multiple regional MS societies, indicating a strong partnership ecosystem. Revenue streams likely include pharmaceutical product support and brand positioning. The platform's competitive advantage lies in its authoritative content, professional design, and compliance with privacy regulations. Growth indicators include active event promotion and integration with digital communication channels. Strategic observations highlight the importance of maintaining trust through compliance and security enhancements.

Security posture

The website exhibits a moderate to good security maturity level with HTTPS enforced and cookie consent mechanisms in place. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. However, the absence of explicit security headers and incident response contacts indicates room for improvement. Compliance with GDPR is evident, but incident response readiness and vulnerability disclosure practices are lacking. The use of reputable analytics and tag management tools is positive but requires ongoing monitoring for security risks. Overall, the security posture supports business continuity but should be enhanced to meet higher standards and regulatory expectations.

Recommendations

  1. Implement explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to strengthen browser security.
  2. Publish a security.txt file and provide clear incident response contact information to improve vulnerability disclosure and incident handling.
  3. Conduct regular security audits and update third-party plugins and scripts to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance transparency around data retention policies and user privacy to reinforce GDPR compliance.
  5. Develop a long-term security strategy including employee training, monitoring, and incident response planning to sustain trust and compliance.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Merck GmbH
Description
Leben mit Multipler Sklerose
Key services
Educational content on MS symptoms, diagnosis, therapies, Support and resources for living with MS, Serviceline for MS medication injection device replacement
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, Elementor, Yoast SEO, jQuery, Google Tag Manager, Adobe Analytics, Complianz GDPR plugin, Qi Blocks, Header Footer Elementor
Frameworks
WordPress CMS
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent banner with opt-in/opt-out
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of reputable analytics and tag management

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via GTM), Adobe Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Adobe Analytics
Marketing tools
Adobe Analytics
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a healthcare information portal focused on Multiple Sclerosis.
  2. Content is professionally presented in German language targeting Austrian audience.
  3. Strong branding association with Merck GmbH pharmaceutical company.
  4. Comprehensive cookie consent and privacy compliance mechanisms implemented.
  5. No WHOIS data available, limiting domain trust verification.
  6. No security.txt or explicit incident response contacts found.
  7. Use of modern WordPress CMS with Elementor and Yoast SEO plugins.
  8. No signs of adult or questionable content.
  9. Phone contact provided clearly as company service line.
  10. Multiple external links to MS societies and official resources.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern WordPress CMS platform using Elementor for page building and Yoast SEO for search optimization. It integrates advanced analytics tools including Google Tag Manager and Adobe Analytics, indicating a mature digital marketing infrastructure. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and accessibility features. The site uses multiple plugins for cookie consent and UI enhancements. Technical risks include reliance on third-party scripts and lack of some security headers. Opportunities exist to improve performance and security by optimizing scripts and implementing best practices in HTTP headers and monitoring.
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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