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Security report for mcarnolds.be

McArnolds · Media · Belgium

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in Security headers and SSL/TLS.

Security score

67/100

Risk levelMedium

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

McArnolds is a Brussels-based creative communications agency specializing in branding, website creation, ecommerce, digital marketing, and multimedia production. Established in 2007, the agency focuses on crafting bespoke digital experiences that highlight brand identity and engage audiences effectively. Their market position is that of a small but established creative agency with a portfolio of diverse projects across various sectors. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including JavaScript frameworks, Google Tag Manager, reCAPTCHA v3, and Cookiebot for privacy compliance, indicating a mature digital infrastructure. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS, uses bot protection, and manages cookie consent effectively, though it lacks explicit security headers and published security policies. Overall, the website is professional, well-designed, and compliant with GDPR, reflecting a trustworthy and credible business presence.

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

4 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
    • 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';…

  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 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

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

Keep watching mcarnolds.be

This scan found 23 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
60
Security headers
15
Email security
75
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
83
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 agency operates in the media and digital marketing sectors, targeting businesses seeking branding and digital presence enhancement. Their business model is service-oriented, offering creative and technical solutions such as website design, ecommerce platforms, and marketing campaigns. The company leverages partnerships with platforms like Vimeo and Google for video hosting and analytics. Growth indicators include a well-maintained portfolio and active social media presence. The absence of direct contact emails or phone numbers suggests a preference for controlled communication channels, possibly to manage client interactions professionally. No parent or subsidiary companies were identified, indicating an independent operation.

Security posture

McArnolds demonstrates a solid security posture with HTTPS enforcement, integration of Google reCAPTCHA v3 to mitigate bot traffic, and a comprehensive cookie consent mechanism via Cookiebot ensuring GDPR compliance. However, the lack of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and absence of published security or incident response policies represent areas for improvement. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analyzed content. The site does not provide a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file, which could enhance transparency and trust. Overall, the security maturity is good but could benefit from formalized policies and additional HTTP security headers.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and configure HTTP security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and incident response procedures to improve transparency and user trust.
  3. Establish a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting of security issues.
  4. Consider adding direct, verified contact channels for security incidents such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  5. Regularly audit third-party scripts and libraries to ensure no vulnerable components are in use and maintain up-to-date dependencies.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
McArnolds
Description
McArnolds is a communications agency specializing in website creation, design, branding, ecommerce, digital marketing, photo and video production. They craft bespoke websites that showcase branding and build digital experiences honoring brand DNA.
Key services
Branding, Website creation, Ecommerce, Digital Marketing, Photo & Video Production
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, Vimeo Player, Google reCAPTCHA v3, Google Tag Manager, Cookiebot
Frameworks
Swup (page transitions), Custom motion components (mca-motion)
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Google reCAPTCHA v3 implemented
  • Cookie consent management via Cookiebot

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Ads
Tracking pixels
Google Ads conversion tracking
Marketing tools
Cookiebot
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website uses Cookiebot for GDPR-compliant cookie consent management.
  2. Google Tag Manager and reCAPTCHA v3 are implemented for analytics and bot protection.
  3. No explicit terms of service or security policy pages found.
  4. Contact information is primarily via contact form and social media; no direct emails or phone numbers found in the provided content.
  5. Website content is professional, well-structured, and visually consistent.
  6. No suspicious or malicious content detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern JavaScript-based front-end with Swup for smooth page transitions and custom motion components for animations. It integrates third-party services such as Vimeo for video hosting, Google Tag Manager for analytics and tag management, and Cookiebot for cookie consent management. The site is hosted under a domain registered with Combell nv, a reputable registrar. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices including meta tags and Open Graph data. Accessibility is basic but present. The site lacks a detected CMS, suggesting a custom or static site architecture. Overall, the technical infrastructure is solid with room for enhancements in accessibility and 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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