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Security report for nationalarchives.gov.uk

The National Archives · Government · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in Security headers and SSL/TLS.

Security score

75/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The National Archives is the official UK government archive and publisher for England and Wales, providing archival preservation, research assistance, educational resources, and professional guidance. It holds a strong market position as a government entity with a large-scale operation serving researchers, educators, and the general public. The website reflects a mature and authoritative presence with comprehensive content and clear navigation. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern SEO practices, accessibility features, and a moderate performance profile. It uses common libraries such as jQuery and Modernizr, and integrates Google Tag Manager and GA4 for analytics. Mobile optimization and user experience are well implemented. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and employs cookie consent mechanisms, but lacks explicit security headers and incident response contact information. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Privacy policies and cookie policies are comprehensive and GDPR compliant. Overall, the website demonstrates a high level of trustworthiness and professionalism, with no signs of malicious activity or content safety concerns. The absence of WHOIS data is likely due to registry privacy policies for .gov.uk domains and does not detract from the site's legitimacy.

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

3 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 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 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

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

Keep watching nationalarchives.gov.uk

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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
72
Security headers
25
Email security
93
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
83
Average
75

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 nationalarchives.gov.uk, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
1,656
Employees
0
Customers
1,620
Third parties
36
Weak passwords
7%

13 subdomains affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Select it in the checkout above.

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

The National Archives operates as a government archival institution, focusing on preserving government records and facilitating public access to historical documents. Its business model is service-oriented, funded by government resources, targeting researchers, educators, and government professionals. The organization leverages partnerships with related government sites and maintains a strong digital presence through official social media channels. The website's content and structure support its mission effectively, indicating a stable and authoritative market position with no direct commercial revenue streams. The partnership ecosystem includes related government domains and archival services, enhancing its reach and service delivery. Growth indicators are not explicitly stated but implied through ongoing exhibitions, events, and educational resources. The organization maintains a consistent brand and high-quality content, reinforcing its credibility and public trust.

Security posture

The National Archives website exhibits a solid security posture with mandatory HTTPS encryption and cookie consent mechanisms aligned with privacy regulations. The absence of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options suggests room for improvement in defense-in-depth strategies. No exposed credentials, vulnerable libraries, or security incidents were identified in the analyzed content. The site lacks explicit incident response or security contact information, which is a common gap in government websites but recommended for enhanced transparency and rapid response capability. Compliance with GDPR is evident through privacy and cookie policies. Overall, the security maturity is good but could benefit from implementing additional HTTP security headers and publishing a security policy or vulnerability disclosure program.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive HTTP security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  2. Publish explicit security and incident response policies with dedicated contact channels to improve transparency and readiness.
  3. Regularly update JavaScript libraries and dependencies to the latest secure versions to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance monitoring and auditing of cookie consent mechanisms to ensure ongoing GDPR compliance and user privacy.
  5. Consider publishing a vulnerability disclosure or bug bounty program to engage security researchers and improve security posture.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
The National Archives
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
The National Archives
Description
We are a non-ministerial department, and the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, and for England and Wales.
Key services
Archival preservation, Publishing government records, Research assistance, Educational resources, Professional guidance and services
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 1.11.3, Modernizr 2.8.3, Yoast SEO plugin, WordPress CMS, Google Fonts
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent banner with accept/reject options
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of modern JavaScript libraries with no known vulnerabilities in versions used

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
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. Official UK government archival website
  2. Comprehensive and well-structured content
  3. Strong SEO and accessibility features
  4. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity
  5. Cookie consent and privacy policies are clearly presented
  6. No WHOIS data available publicly, likely due to privacy or registry restrictions
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform using a combination of custom themes and plugins, including Yoast SEO for search engine optimization. It employs jQuery 1.11.3 and Modernizr 2.8.3 for frontend functionality, which are somewhat dated but still widely used. Google Fonts are used for typography, and Google Tag Manager along with GA4 are integrated for analytics and user tracking. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and accessibility features. The site uses a cookie consent plugin to manage user privacy preferences. There is no explicit hosting provider information visible, but the domain is a UK government .gov.uk domain, likely hosted on government infrastructure. The technical stack is stable but could benefit from modernization of JavaScript libraries and enhanced 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

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 75/100Medium28 findingsView report
  2. 75/100 −1Medium28 findingsView report
  3. 76/100Low27 findingsView report
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