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Security report for mwam.com

Marshall Wace · Finance · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

71/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Marshall Wace is a globally recognized alternative investment manager specializing in quantitative, systematic, and fundamental investment strategies with a focus on long/short equity. The company operates multiple offices worldwide, demonstrating a significant international presence. The website is professionally designed, content-rich, and provides comprehensive information about the firm's values, teams, and impact. Technical infrastructure leverages WordPress CMS with modern plugins and tracking tools such as Google Analytics and Hotjar, indicating a mature digital presence. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced and cookie consent mechanisms in place, though some security headers are not explicitly detected. The absence of WHOIS data is a notable anomaly but does not detract from the overall legitimacy indicated by the website content and regulatory disclosures. Overall, the site reflects a well-established financial services firm with a focus on client trust and regulatory compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 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

5 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
    • 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

  2. 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 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';…

  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

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

Keep watching mwam.com

This scan found 20 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

€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

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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
42
Security headers
50
Email security
78
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
80
Average
71

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

Marshall Wace holds a leading position in the alternative investment sector, leveraging technology and data-driven strategies to deliver client returns. The firm's business model centers on managing diverse investment strategies with a strong emphasis on risk management and innovation. The presence of multiple global offices and a dedicated investor portal highlights a robust operational infrastructure. The company emphasizes corporate social responsibility and stewardship, aligning with industry standards such as the UN Principles of Responsible Investing. The website's content and structure suggest a target audience of institutional investors and sophisticated clients seeking alternative investment solutions. The firm maintains transparency through regulatory disclosures and privacy policies, supporting its credibility and compliance posture.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid security foundation with HTTPS enabled and cookie consent mechanisms that comply with GDPR requirements. However, the lack of visible security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP), HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), and X-Frame-Options suggests room for improvement in hardening the web application. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. The absence of explicit incident response or security contact information is a gap in the security communication strategy. The use of third-party analytics and tracking tools is balanced with user privacy controls. Overall, the security posture is good but could benefit from enhanced header configurations and published vulnerability disclosure policies.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and verify security headers including CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  2. Publish a security.txt file or dedicated security page with incident response contact details to improve transparency and vulnerability reporting.
  3. Conduct regular audits of third-party scripts and plugins to mitigate risks from external dependencies.
  4. Enhance website accessibility compliance to improve user experience for all visitors.
  5. Investigate and resolve the absence of WHOIS data to ensure domain registration transparency and trust.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Marshall Wace
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Marshall Wace
Description
Marshall Wace is a leading provider of alternative investment solutions. We manage quantitative, systematic and fundamental strategies, specialising in long/short equity.
Key services
Alternative investment solutions, Quantitative strategies, Systematic strategies, Fundamental strategies, Long/short equity management
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Hotjar, Vimeo embedded videos, jQuery, FontAwesome, WordPress, Contact Form 7, Cookie Law Info plugin, Simple Banner plugin, AOS (Animate On Scroll), Swiper slider
Frameworks
FoundationPress WordPress theme
Platforms
WordPress CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent banner with granular controls
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of security plugins (Cookie Law Info)

Analytics and tracking

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

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Hotjar
Marketing tools
Hotjar
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and content-rich.
  2. Strong focus on alternative investment management.
  3. Multiple global office addresses provided with detailed contact info.
  4. Cookie consent and privacy policies are implemented and GDPR compliant.
  5. No visible security headers detected in HTML source.
  6. No contact emails explicitly found in HTML; contact likely via form or office addresses.
  7. Investor login portal is present on a subdomain.
  8. WHOIS data is missing or unavailable, which is unusual for a .com domain.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress using the FoundationPress theme, incorporating modern JavaScript libraries and plugins such as jQuery, AOS for animations, Swiper for sliders, and FontAwesome for icons. Embedded Vimeo videos enrich content engagement. Analytics and user behavior tracking are implemented via Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Hotjar, indicating a data-driven approach to user experience optimization. The site is mobile responsive with good SEO practices including meta tags and structured data (JSON-LD). Performance is moderate, with potential improvements in loading speed and accessibility. The technical stack is modern and well-maintained, supporting the business's digital presence effectively.
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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