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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 based in the Netherlands, dedicated to supporting an open internet through funding and supporting open source projects and internet commons. The website reflects a mature digital presence with clear information about funding programs, supported projects, and community engagement through events and webinars. Technically, the site is built on standard web technologies with good mobile optimization and SEO practices, though it lacks advanced frameworks or CMS indicators. Security posture is strong with HTTPS and DNSSEC enabled, but could be improved by adding security headers and explicit incident response policies. Privacy compliance is partial, with a privacy policy present but no cookie consent mechanism detected. Overall, the website is trustworthy, professional, and aligned with the organization's mission.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of nlnet.nl. View the latest report

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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  • 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 operates in the technology and non-profit sectors, focusing on funding and supporting open internet initiatives. Its market position is strong due to its long history since 1997 and association with well-known open source projects like WireGuard and Jitsi. The foundation targets organizations and individuals involved in open source and internet commons, leveraging pilot programs and thematic funds to drive innovation. Revenue streams likely come from grants and donations. The partnership ecosystem includes NGI and other European internet initiatives. The website content and structure support transparency and community engagement, reinforcing its credibility and growth potential.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a good security maturity level with HTTPS and DNSSEC enabled, ensuring secure communications and domain integrity. However, the absence of common security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options is a gap that could expose the site to certain web-based attacks. No vulnerability disclosure or incident response information is publicly available, which limits transparency and readiness perception. There are no visible vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The site does not appear to use tracking or analytics that could introduce privacy risks. Overall, the security posture is solid but could benefit from enhanced headers and published security policies.

Recommendations

  1. Implement standard security headers (CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options) to harden the website against common attacks.
  2. Add a cookie consent mechanism to comply with GDPR and improve privacy transparency.
  3. Publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting and improve trust.
  4. Include explicit incident response contact information or security contact channels on the website.
  5. Regularly review and update privacy policies to ensure full GDPR compliance and communicate data handling practices clearly.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
NLnet Foundation
Description
NLnet Foundation supports organisations and people contributing to an open internet by funding projects related to open hardware, software, standards, science, and data. It has a historical contribution to the early internet in Europe and financially supports open internet projects since 1997.
Key services
Funding open source and open internet projects, Supporting pilot programs like NGI Zero Commons Fund, NGI TALER, NGI Mobifree, NGI Fediversity, Providing practical support and review programs for projects, Organizing events, webinars, and office hours
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 enabled
  • DNSSEC enabled

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Transparency
poor

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
good
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 banners detected, which may affect GDPR compliance.
  3. No visible security.txt or vulnerability disclosure information.
  4. No phone numbers or direct email addresses publicly listed; contact is via contact page.
  5. No advertising or tracking scripts detected, indicating privacy-conscious design.
  6. Social media presence mainly on Fediverse and podcast platforms.
  7. Website uses custom or minimal CMS with clean HTML and CSS.
  8. No major technical or security issues detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses clean, valid HTML5 and CSS with some JavaScript for UI interactions. It does not rely on heavy frameworks or CMS platforms, indicating a custom or lightweight implementation. Hosting appears stable with Prolocation B.V. as registrar, and DNSSEC is enabled, enhancing domain security. Performance is moderate with good mobile responsiveness and basic accessibility features. SEO is supported by proper meta tags and structured navigation. There is room for modernization by adopting modern frameworks or CMS for easier content management and enhanced accessibility compliance.
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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