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Security report for nlnet.nl

NLnet Foundation · Technology · Netherlands

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

71/100

Risk levelMedium

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

NLnet Foundation is a well-established non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and funding projects that contribute to an open and secure internet. With a history dating back to 1997 and roots in the early European internet development, NLnet funds a variety of open source and open standards initiatives, including pilot programs like NGI Zero Commons Fund and NGI TALER. The foundation targets open source developers, NGOs, and technology projects focused on internet openness and privacy. Technically, the website is built on standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) with a custom or unknown CMS. It is hosted under a reputable registrar with DNSSEC enabled and HTTPS enforced, indicating a strong security baseline. The site is moderately performant, mobile-optimized, and has good SEO and navigation clarity. From a security perspective, NLnet demonstrates good practices such as HTTPS and DNSSEC but lacks visible security policies, vulnerability disclosure mechanisms, and cookie consent banners. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. The absence of terms of service and incident response contacts suggests areas for improvement in compliance and transparency. Overall, NLnet presents a trustworthy and professional online presence with a strong focus on open internet advocacy. Strategic recommendations include enhancing privacy compliance with cookie consent, publishing security and incident response policies, and adding terms of service to improve user trust and regulatory adherence.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
28/ 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

4 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 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

  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 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

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Keep watching nlnet.nl

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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
65
Security headers
80
Email security
85
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
28
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

NLnet Foundation occupies a niche in the open internet and open source funding ecosystem, leveraging its long history and reputation to support projects that enhance internet security, privacy, and openness. Its business model as a non-profit relies on grant funding and pilot programs targeting innovative technology projects. The foundation's partnerships with recognized entities like NGI and NLnet Labs strengthen its market position. The target audience includes open source developers, NGOs, and technology advocates. Growth indicators include active calls for proposals, job openings, and community engagement through events and webinars. The foundation maintains a consistent brand and clear communication channels, although direct contact details are limited on the website.

Security posture

NLnet Foundation exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS and DNSSEC enabled, ensuring secure communications and DNS integrity. The website does not expose sensitive data or use vulnerable libraries. However, the lack of a published security policy, vulnerability disclosure program, or incident response contact reduces transparency and may impact trust from security-conscious stakeholders. No cookie consent mechanism was detected, which could be a compliance gap under GDPR. Overall, the security posture is good but could be enhanced by formalizing security governance documentation and improving privacy compliance.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Implement and display a cookie consent mechanism to comply with privacy regulations.
  3. Add a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Provide clear incident response contact information, such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  5. Create and publish terms of service to clarify user rights and obligations.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
NLnet Foundation
Description
NLnet Foundation supports organisations and people who contribute to an open internet for all by funding projects related to open hardware, open software, open standards, open science, and open data. It has a historical contribution to the early internet in Europe since the 1980s and has been financially supporting the open internet since 1997.
Key services
Funding open source and open internet projects, Running pilot programs (NGI Zero Commons Fund, NGI TALER, NGI Mobifree, NGI Fediversity), Providing practical support and review programs for projects, Organizing events, webinars, and community workshops
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
HTML5, CSS, JavaScript
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • DNSSEC enabled

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Transparency
poor

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content about funding and open internet projects.
  2. No explicit privacy or cookie consent mechanisms visible on the homepage.
  3. No visible security.txt or vulnerability disclosure information.
  4. No direct company contact emails or phone numbers found in the HTML content.
  5. Social media presence primarily via Fediverse and podcast links.
  6. No advertising or tracking scripts detected.
  7. Website uses HTTPS and DNSSEC, indicating good security posture.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses standard web technologies with no detected CMS or frameworks, indicating a custom or lightweight implementation. The site is mobile-optimized and has good SEO metadata but lacks advanced technical frameworks or analytics tools. Hosting is through a reputable registrar with DNSSEC enabled, enhancing DNS security. Performance is moderate with no indications of slow loading or errors. Accessibility is basic but could be improved. No third-party tracking or advertising scripts were detected, supporting user privacy. Opportunities exist to modernize with enhanced accessibility features and integrate analytics for better user insights.
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. 71/100Medium29 findingsView report
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