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Security report for natureserve.org

NatureServe · Non-profit · United States

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

65/100

Risk levelMedium

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

NatureServe is a well-established nonprofit organization specializing in biodiversity data and conservation science across North America. With a 50-year history, it collaborates with a broad network of scientists and organizations to provide authoritative data that supports conservation efforts. The website reflects a mature digital presence with comprehensive content, clear navigation, and strong branding consistent with its mission. Technically, the site is built on Drupal 10 with modern frameworks like Bootstrap and integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools such as Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, and Mailchimp. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, though performance is moderate. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and some security headers, but could be enhanced with additional headers and explicit cookie consent mechanisms. Overall, the security and privacy compliance is good, with a comprehensive privacy policy and clear contact information. The WHOIS data is limited due to privacy protection, but the domain and website content align well with the organization's claims, supporting legitimacy. No critical vulnerabilities or suspicious indicators were found. Strategically, NatureServe should focus on enhancing security headers, implementing explicit cookie consent, and maintaining transparency to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
53/ 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. 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';…
  2. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

    • 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

  3. 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 natureserve.org

This scan found 26 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

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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
52
Security headers
40
Email security
70
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
Average
65

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 natureserve.org, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
75
Employees
0
Customers
74
Third parties
1
Weak passwords
5%

4 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 natureserve.org.

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

NatureServe occupies a strong position in the environmental nonprofit sector, leveraging a large network of experts and organizations to deliver critical biodiversity data. Its business model relies on donations, partnerships, and data services. The organization targets conservation professionals, government agencies, NGOs, educators, and the public. Its partnerships with recognized environmental groups and certifications like Charity Navigator's Four-Star Rating enhance credibility. The website supports fundraising efforts and public engagement effectively, indicating a mature operational model with growth potential in digital outreach and data services.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a good security maturity level with enforced HTTPS, use of security headers, and secure form handling via Drupal. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. However, the absence of some recommended headers (e.g., Content Security Policy, X-Content-Type-Options) and lack of explicit cookie consent mechanisms represent areas for improvement. Incident response and security policy information are not publicly available, which could be enhanced to improve transparency and readiness. Overall, the security posture is strong for a nonprofit but can benefit from adopting additional best practices.

Recommendations

  1. Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP) header to mitigate cross-site scripting risks.
  2. Add security headers such as X-Content-Type-Options and X-Frame-Options to improve protection against MIME sniffing and clickjacking.
  3. Deploy an explicit cookie consent banner/mechanism to comply fully with privacy regulations.
  4. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information to enhance transparency and trust.
  5. Regularly audit third-party scripts and dependencies to ensure no vulnerabilities are introduced.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
NatureServe
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
NatureServe
Description
NatureServe is a nonprofit organization providing authoritative biodiversity data throughout North America, working with over 60 network organizations and 1,000+ conservation scientists to collect, analyze, and deliver biodiversity knowledge that informs conservation action.
Key services
Biodiversity data collection and analysis, Conservation status assessments, Ecosystem classification and mapping, Public data access via NatureServe Explorer, Educational resources and publications
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Drupal 10, Bootstrap 4.5.2, jQuery 3.7.1, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, Twitter Universal Website Tag, Mailchimp, Fundraise Up
Frameworks
Drupal CMS, Bootstrap CSS Framework
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with CSRF tokens (Drupal standard)

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager), Facebook Pixel, Twitter Universal Website Tag
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Twitter Ads
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Twitter Universal Website Tag
Marketing tools
Mailchimp, Fundraise Up
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 rich content and no blocking detected.
  2. Strong nonprofit branding and trust signals present.
  3. Multiple social media and partner links consistent with nonprofit conservation mission.
  4. Use of modern CMS (Drupal 10) and standard web technologies.
  5. No signs of phishing, malware, or suspicious behavior.
  6. No explicit privacy or cookie banners detected, but privacy policy is comprehensive.
  7. Contact information is clear and includes phone and physical address.
  8. Security posture is good but can be improved with additional headers.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern and robust technology stack centered on Drupal 10 CMS and Bootstrap for responsive design. Integration with multiple analytics and marketing tools indicates a mature digital marketing strategy. Performance is moderate, suggesting potential optimization opportunities in asset loading and caching. Accessibility and SEO are well addressed with proper meta tags and ARIA landmarks. The site is mobile-friendly and uses standard web technologies, ensuring broad compatibility. Hosting provider details are not explicit, but the site uses HTTPS with a valid certificate, indicating a secure hosting environment.
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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