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Security report for msd-australia.com.au

Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd · Healthcare · Australia

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

73/100

Risk levelMedium

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

MSD Australia is a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., a global pharmaceutical leader. The company focuses on research, development, and distribution of medicines and vaccines to address significant health challenges. Their website reflects a mature digital presence with comprehensive content targeting patients, healthcare professionals, and researchers. The site emphasizes corporate responsibility, patient well-being, and innovation in healthcare. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern SEO and accessibility practices. It employs Google Tag Manager and OneTrust for analytics and cookie consent, indicating a commitment to privacy compliance. The site is mobile-optimized and performs moderately well, with a professional design and clear navigation. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS with strong security headers and no visible vulnerabilities. However, there is no publicly available security policy or incident response contact, which could be improved. WHOIS data is privacy-protected, common for large enterprises, and does not raise immediate concerns. Overall, the site demonstrates a strong security posture and compliance with privacy regulations. The overall risk is low, with recommendations to enhance transparency around security policies and incident response. The website is trustworthy and professionally managed, supporting MSD Australia's market position as a leading healthcare provider.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 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

3 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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

  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 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
    • 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
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  • 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
42
Security headers
80
Email security
70
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
73

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

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention msd-australia.com.au, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for msd-australia.com.au right now. New leaks arrive continuously, so monitoring on Breach alerts you if that changes.

Monitor on Breach (opens in a new tab)

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

MSD Australia operates in the healthcare sector as a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. It leverages a global brand and extensive research capabilities to maintain a strong market position. The business model centers on pharmaceutical innovation, patient support, and corporate social responsibility. The company targets healthcare professionals, patients, and communities, with a focus on vaccines and medicines. The website's extensive network of related domains and partner sites reflects a broad partnership ecosystem. Growth indicators include active content updates and engagement through social media. The company maintains a professional and consistent brand image, supporting its enterprise status in the pharmaceutical industry.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enforcement and multiple security headers. The use of cookie consent mechanisms and privacy policies aligns with GDPR and Australian privacy laws. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. However, the absence of a dedicated security policy page and incident response contacts limits transparency. There is no evidence of a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file. Overall, the site is secure but could improve by publishing explicit security policies and providing clear incident response channels to enhance trust and compliance.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact information, such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Implement a vulnerability disclosure program and publish a security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Regularly review and audit third-party scripts and plugins to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance transparency by providing contact details for the Data Protection Officer or privacy lead.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd
Description
MSD Australia follows the science to tackle some of the world's greatest health threats, providing medications and vaccines to improve lives.
Key services
Pharmaceutical products, Vaccines, Research and development, Patient support
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, Yoast SEO, Tiny Slider, Google Tag Manager, OneTrust Cookie Consent
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent mechanism
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of Google Tag Manager for controlled script loading

Analytics and tracking

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

Advertising

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 no blocking or WAF challenges.
  2. Content is professionally presented and relevant to healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
  3. Strong privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms are in place.
  4. No exposed sensitive data or obvious security vulnerabilities detected.
  5. WHOIS data is unavailable, likely due to privacy protection, which is common for large enterprises.
  6. Multiple external domains linked are legitimate MSD or Merck related sites.
  7. Social media presence on Twitter and LinkedIn is active and linked.
  8. Website uses modern technologies and SEO best practices.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress, utilizing Yoast SEO for search optimization and Tiny Slider for interactive content. Google Tag Manager is used for analytics and marketing scripts, while OneTrust manages cookie consent, indicating compliance with privacy regulations. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive images and accessible design features. Performance is moderate, with potential for improvement in loading speed. The technical stack is modern and well-maintained, supporting a professional user experience. No deprecated or vulnerable technologies were detected in the provided content.
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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