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Security report for merlinarc.com

Merlin Architectural Ltd · Manufacturing · United Kingdom

High risk. 6 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Network security and 2 other checks.

Security score

48/100

Risk levelHigh

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

Merlin Architectural Ltd is a UK-based company specializing in the supply and specification of architectural hardware, ironmongery, and door furniture. The company positions itself as a trusted and reliable supplier with a strong focus on customer satisfaction and professional service. Their market presence is supported by certifications such as Certifire and UKCA, and positive customer reviews. The website is built on WordPress with WooCommerce and Elementor, indicating a modern and flexible digital infrastructure. The technical setup includes Google Analytics and Tag Manager for marketing and analytics purposes. Security posture is generally good with HTTPS and reCAPTCHA implemented, though some security headers are missing and WHOIS data is unavailable, which slightly reduces trust. Privacy and cookie policies are present and GDPR compliant. Overall, the website reflects a professional business with a solid digital presence but would benefit from improved domain transparency and enhanced security headers.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
73/ 100 · Medium
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

6 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

  3. 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

  4. 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"

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

Keep watching merlinarc.com

This scan found 27 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.

Daily monitoring

Recommended

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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
47
Security headers
15
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
73
Average
48

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

Merlin Architectural operates in the manufacturing and retail sectors, targeting architects, builders, and clients in the UK construction industry. Their business model is B2B supply and specification service, emphasizing quality, reliability, and customer support. The company leverages certifications and customer testimonials to strengthen market position. The presence of multiple contact channels including phone, email, WhatsApp, and contact forms supports customer engagement. The website's SEO and content quality indicate a focus on attracting and converting professional clients. Absence of WHOIS data is a potential risk factor but does not currently impact operational credibility. No evident partnerships or subsidiaries were identified from the data.

Security posture

The website uses HTTPS with a valid SSL configuration, employs Google reCAPTCHA v3 on forms to mitigate spam, and avoids exposing sensitive data in the HTML. However, it lacks explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options, which are recommended to enhance protection against common web attacks. No vulnerabilities or outdated libraries were detected in the visible code. The absence of a published security policy or incident response contact limits transparency in security governance. Overall, the security posture is good but could be improved with additional headers and documented policies.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to strengthen web security.
  2. Publish a formal security policy and incident response plan on the website to improve transparency and trust.
  3. Investigate and resolve the missing WHOIS data to enhance domain legitimacy and trustworthiness.
  4. Regularly update WordPress core, themes, and plugins to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance accessibility features to improve compliance and user experience for all visitors.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Merlin Architectural Ltd
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Merlin Architectural Ltd
Description
Merlin Architectural Ltd is a UK-based supplier specializing in architectural hardware, ironmongery, and door furniture. They emphasize high service levels, reliability, and customer satisfaction, working closely with architects, clients, and suppliers to ensure correct product specification and avoid costly mistakes.
Key services
Supply of architectural hardware, Specifier service, Customer support, Technical support, Sales support
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, WooCommerce, Elementor, Google Analytics, YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter, Premium Addons for Elementor, Essential Addons for Elementor, Google Tag Manager
Frameworks
WooCommerce, Elementor
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA v3 on forms
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No visible vulnerable libraries

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Marketing tools
Trustindex.io reviews widget
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 no blocking or WAF challenges.
  2. Content is professional and relevant to architectural hardware supply.
  3. Multiple contact methods including phone, email, WhatsApp, and contact forms.
  4. Use of modern WordPress plugins and SEO tools.
  5. Presence of certifications and customer reviews enhances trust.
  6. WHOIS data is missing, which is a concern for domain legitimacy.
  7. Security headers could be improved for better protection.
  8. Privacy and cookie policies are present with consent mechanisms.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform using WooCommerce for e-commerce functionality and Elementor for page building. It integrates multiple plugins for enhanced user experience and product filtering. Google Analytics and Tag Manager are used for tracking and marketing analytics. The site loads multiple external resources including fonts and review widgets. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and SEO practices. The site uses reCAPTCHA v3 for form security. No major technical debt or deprecated technologies were detected. Hosting provider details are not explicitly available. Overall, the technical infrastructure is modern and well-maintained.
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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