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Security report for ndesign-studio.com

N.Design Studio · Technology · Canada

High risk. 11 critical or high findings in Email security, Network security and 3 other checks.

Security score

41/100

Risk levelHigh

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

N.Design Studio is a personal portfolio and blog site operated by Nick La, a Toronto-based illustrator and web designer. The site showcases his design and illustration work, offers freebies such as WordPress themes and tutorials, and maintains a blog with updates and news relevant to the design community. The business operates in the technology sector with a focus on creative services and content sharing. The domain has been active since 2005, supporting a credible and established online presence. Technically, the website is built on WordPress and uses legacy JavaScript libraries such as jQuery 1.3. The hosting provider is Bluehost Inc. The site demonstrates moderate performance and basic mobile optimization but lacks modern security features such as HTTPS enforcement and security headers. SEO and accessibility are basic but functional. Analytics are implemented via Google Analytics, though privacy disclosures are missing. From a security perspective, the site lacks HTTPS enforcement and security headers, and DNSSEC is not enabled. No privacy or cookie policies are present, indicating compliance gaps with GDPR and other privacy regulations. The absence of contact emails and phone numbers limits direct communication channels, relying solely on a contact form. The WHOIS data is consistent with the website claims, showing a long-standing domain registration without privacy protection, which supports legitimacy. Overall, the website is a professional and trustworthy portfolio site with good content quality and business credibility but requires significant improvements in security posture and privacy compliance to meet modern standards and protect user data effectively.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
35/ 100 · High
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

11 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

    • Critical

      No email authentication configured

      Domain is vulnerable to email spoofing

      What to do: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC immediately

  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.

    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: MySQL

      Port 3306 (MySQL) is publicly accessible - MySQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to MySQL using firewall or VPN

      • 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. 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"

    • 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';…

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

Keep watching ndesign-studio.com

This scan found 29 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
62
Security headers
15
Email security
60
DNS health
75
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
35
Average
41

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 · found on this site
  • 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

N.Design Studio operates as a niche personal brand focusing on web design and illustration services. Its market positioning is that of a creative professional sharing portfolio work and design resources with a community of designers and enthusiasts. The business model centers on content creation, resource sharing, and community engagement through blog posts and freebies. Revenue streams may include affiliate partnerships, such as the collaboration with Moo.com for MiniCards. The target audience includes web designers, illustrators, and creative professionals seeking inspiration and resources. The partnership ecosystem includes Themify for WordPress theme development and Moo.com for promotional offers. Growth indicators include a long domain history and active blog content, though recent updates appear sparse. Strategic observations suggest opportunities to modernize technology and enhance privacy and security compliance to strengthen market trust.

Security posture

The current security maturity level of N.Design Studio is low to moderate. Key vulnerabilities include the lack of HTTPS enforcement, absence of security headers, and outdated JavaScript libraries that may expose the site to known exploits. Compliance gaps are evident due to missing privacy and cookie policies, which are critical under GDPR and similar regulations. Data protection practices are minimal, with no visible incident response or security policy documentation. The site relies on a contact form for communication but lacks dedicated security or abuse contact channels. The security culture appears informal, typical of a personal portfolio site, with room for improvement in adopting best practices such as SSL/TLS, DNSSEC, and regular software updates. Business impact of these vulnerabilities includes potential data interception, reduced user trust, and regulatory non-compliance risks.

Recommendations

  1. Enable HTTPS site-wide with a valid SSL/TLS certificate to secure data in transit.
  2. Implement essential security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  3. Add comprehensive privacy and cookie policies to comply with GDPR and inform users about data practices.
  4. Update all JavaScript libraries and WordPress core/plugins to the latest secure versions.
  5. Establish clear security incident response procedures and provide dedicated security contact information.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
N.Design Studio
Description
N.Design Studio is found by Nick La, Toronto based illustrator and web designer.
Key services
Web design, Illustration, Design blog, Free design resources (themes, wallpapers, tutorials)
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 1.3, WordPress, PHP, JavaScript, CSS
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
basic
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
40/100
Good practices seen
  • Domain status clientTransferProhibited

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (urchin.js)
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
poor

Advertising

Transparency
basic

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
good
Navigation
good
Professionalism
good
Trustworthiness
moderate

Key observations

  1. Website is a personal portfolio and blog for a Toronto-based illustrator and web designer.
  2. No privacy or cookie policies found, indicating compliance gaps.
  3. No HTTPS explicitly detected in HTML content; potential security risk.
  4. Uses outdated jQuery version (1.3) which may have vulnerabilities.
  5. No visible contact emails or phone numbers; only contact form available.
  6. No security headers or advanced security mechanisms detected.
  7. Google Analytics used for tracking without visible privacy disclosures.
  8. Content is safe and suitable for general audiences.
  9. Website design and navigation are clear and professional.
  10. Domain registration data supports legitimacy and trustworthiness.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress with a custom theme named 'koi' and uses legacy jQuery 1.3 scripts. Hosting is provided by Bluehost Inc., a reputable provider. The site uses standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript but lacks modern frontend frameworks or optimization techniques. Performance is moderate, with basic mobile responsiveness and accessibility features. SEO is supported by meta description and structured navigation but could be improved with modern SEO practices. Technical debt is indicated by outdated libraries and missing security configurations. Modernization opportunities include upgrading to current JavaScript frameworks, enforcing HTTPS, and improving accessibility and SEO standards. Technical risks include potential exploitation of outdated scripts and lack of encryption.
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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