Skip to main content

Security report for nic.fr

Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération · Technology · France

Medium risk. 7 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, SSL/TLS and 1 other check.

Security score

53/100

Risk levelMedium

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

AFNIC (Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération) operates as the official registry for French domain extensions including .fr and several overseas TLDs. The organization provides essential internet infrastructure services such as domain registration, registry solutions, dispute resolution, and training programs. Positioned as a key player in the French internet ecosystem, AFNIC serves businesses, registrants, and internet users primarily in France and its territories. The website reflects a professional and authoritative presence consistent with its role as a national registry. Technically, the website is built on a modern WordPress platform enhanced with Bootstrap for responsive design and includes advanced features such as multi-step forms, CAPTCHA protection, and cookie consent management via Tarteaucitron. Analytics are handled through Matomo, emphasizing privacy. The site demonstrates good performance, mobile optimization, and SEO practices, although accessibility could be improved. From a security perspective, AFNIC employs HTTPS with good SSL configuration, uses CAPTCHA to protect forms, and manages cookie consent responsibly. However, explicit security policies and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms are not publicly documented. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. WHOIS data confirms the legitimacy and consistency of the domain registration, reinforcing trust. Overall, AFNIC's website is a secure, well-maintained, and trustworthy platform that effectively supports its business objectives. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing a security policy, and improving accessibility compliance to further strengthen its security posture and user experience.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
25/ 100 · Critical
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

7 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.

    • Critical

      EU business without adequate privacy measures

      EU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements

      What to do: Implement comprehensive GDPR compliance including privacy policy, cookie consent, and data protection measures

    • High

      No Privacy Policy found

      GDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy

      What to do: Add a comprehensive privacy policy page and link to it prominently

  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.

    • Critical

      Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

      Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

      What to do: Check if the server is accessible and SSL/TLS is properly configured

  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 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 nic.fr

This scan found 19 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.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. See sample alerts.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

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
0
Security headers
40
Email security
70
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
25
Average
53

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 nic.fr, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
60
Employees
0
Customers
60
Third parties
0
Weak passwords
3%

7 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 nic.fr.

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

AFNIC holds a critical market position as the official registry for French TLDs, providing domain registration and internet infrastructure services. Its business model revolves around managing domain namespaces and offering registry solutions to registrars and end-users. The organization targets businesses, registrars, and internet users in France and overseas territories. AFNIC's partnerships with governmental, educational, and cybersecurity organizations enhance its ecosystem and credibility. The website content and partner affiliations indicate a stable and mature operation with a focus on digital sovereignty and internet governance. Revenue streams likely include domain registration fees, registry services, and training programs. The presence of multiple social media channels and resource publications suggests active engagement and thought leadership in the domain industry.

Security posture

AFNIC demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced, CAPTCHA protection on forms, and cookie consent management aligned with GDPR. The use of Matomo analytics reflects a privacy-conscious approach. However, the absence of a publicly available security policy, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms indicates areas for improvement. Security headers are partially implemented but could be enhanced with a Content-Security-Policy. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found in the HTML content. Overall, AFNIC maintains a secure environment appropriate for its role but should formalize and publish security governance documents to improve transparency and incident readiness.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and publish a comprehensive Content-Security-Policy header to mitigate XSS and related attacks.
  2. Create and make publicly available a security policy and incident response plan including dedicated contact channels.
  3. Establish a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability disclosure.
  4. Enhance website accessibility to meet higher compliance standards.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party plugins and scripts to minimize security risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération
Description
L'Afnic est le Registre Internet des noms de domaine en .fr, .re, .pm, .yt, .wf et .tf. / Solutions de Registre - AFNIC
Key services
Domain name registration in .fr and French overseas TLDs, Registry services for custom extensions, Support and dispute resolution, Training and awareness programs
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 6.8.3, Bootstrap 4.6.2, jQuery 3.7.1, Contact Form 7, Tarteaucitron cookie consent, Friendly Captcha, Matomo Analytics
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of CAPTCHA on forms (Friendly Captcha)
  • Cookie consent management (Tarteaucitron)
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo Cloud
Marketing tools
Matomo Analytics, Tarteaucitron cookie consent
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 in French with English alternate
  3. Strong focus on domain registry services for French TLDs
  4. Multiple social media channels actively linked
  5. Cookie consent and privacy compliance mechanisms implemented
  6. Use of modern web technologies and analytics tools
  7. No signs of suspicious or malicious content
  8. WHOIS data confirms legitimacy and consistency
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress 6.8.3 with Bootstrap 4.6.2, jQuery 3.7.1, and uses Contact Form 7 for forms. It integrates Tarteaucitron for cookie consent and Friendly Captcha for bot protection. Matomo Analytics is used for privacy-focused visitor tracking. The site is mobile responsive and SEO optimized with proper meta tags and structured data (JSON-LD). Performance is moderate, with preloading of fonts and optimized images. The technical stack is modern and well-maintained, though some improvements in accessibility and security headers could be made. Hosting provider details are not explicit. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports a professional and secure user experience.
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. 68/100Medium29 findingsView report
Reviews of this site

Share your experience with nic.fr. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review nic.fr.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.