Skip to main content

Security report for nslegislature.ca

Nova Scotia Legislature · Government · Canada

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

75/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Nova Scotia Legislature website serves as the official online presence for the legislative branch of the Government of Nova Scotia. It provides comprehensive access to legislative business including debates, bills, statutes, committee information, and live legislative TV. The site targets residents, government officials, researchers, and the general public interested in provincial governance. It holds a strong market position as an authoritative government resource with consistent branding and trust indicators such as official domain and social media presence. Technically, the website is built on Drupal 7 with a moderate technology stack including jQuery 1.10, Slick Carousel, and Colorbox. The site is moderately performant with good mobile optimization and basic accessibility features. SEO is basic but sufficient for the target audience. Hosting details are not explicit but domain registration is consistent with a Canadian government entity. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS and has domain transfer protections enabled. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, and security headers are not detected. The use of an outdated jQuery version poses potential vulnerabilities. There is no published security policy or incident response contact, and no cookie consent mechanism despite use of Google Tag Manager for analytics. These gaps reduce privacy compliance and security posture scores. Overall, the website is trustworthy and professional, with high business credibility. The main risks relate to technical security improvements and privacy compliance enhancements. Strategic recommendations include enabling DNSSEC, updating JavaScript libraries, implementing security headers, publishing security policies, and adding cookie consent mechanisms to improve compliance and user trust.

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

4 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 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 nslegislature.ca

This scan found 20 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. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

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
72
Security headers
65
Email security
85
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
Average
75

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

The Nova Scotia Legislature operates as a government entity providing legislative information and services to the public. Its business model is public service and information dissemination without commercial revenue streams. The site supports democratic participation by offering access to legislative documents, live streams, and event calendars. The target audience includes Nova Scotia residents, government officials, and researchers. The website demonstrates a stable market position as an official provincial government resource with no direct competitors in its niche. Partnerships include social media platforms and external library catalogues. Growth indicators include digitization of historical journals and active social media engagement. The site’s operations reflect a focus on transparency, accessibility, and public engagement.

Security posture

The website’s security maturity is moderate. HTTPS is enforced, and domain registration protections are in place. However, the absence of DNSSEC and security headers weakens domain and web application security. The use of an outdated jQuery version introduces potential vulnerabilities. No security policy or incident response information is published, limiting transparency and preparedness. Privacy compliance is basic, lacking cookie consent mechanisms despite tracking scripts. There is no evidence of vulnerability disclosure or data protection officer contact. The site would benefit from adopting modern security best practices, improving privacy compliance, and enhancing incident response readiness to reduce risk and build user trust.

Recommendations

  1. Enable DNSSEC to protect against DNS spoofing and improve domain security.
  2. Implement HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  3. Update jQuery and other JavaScript libraries to current secure versions to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  4. Publish a clear security policy and provide incident response contact information to improve transparency and readiness.
  5. Add a cookie consent mechanism to comply with privacy regulations and inform users about tracking.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Nova Scotia Legislature
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Nova Scotia Legislature
Description
The legislative branch of the Government of Nova Scotia. It is made up of democratically elected representatives (MLAs) who form the House of Assembly, and the Lieutenant Governor. The Legislature makes laws, controls provincial public spending, and monitors and questions the executive branch’s policies and actions.
Key services
Legislative business information, Access to debates (Hansard), Bills and statutes, Committee information, Legislative TV streaming, Photo galleries and historical archives, Event calendar, MLA profiles and contact information
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery 1.10, Drupal 7, Slick Carousel, Colorbox, Google Tag Manager
Frameworks
Drupal 7 CMS
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • ClientTransferProhibited and clientUpdateProhibited domain status set

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Marketing tools
Cludo Search
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Official government website with comprehensive legislative content.
  2. Uses Drupal 7 CMS with several JavaScript libraries.
  3. No evidence of security policy or incident response information published.
  4. No cookie consent mechanism detected despite use of tracking tools.
  5. Social media presence on official platforms (X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram).
  6. Domain registration consistent with business purpose and location.
  7. No suspicious or malicious content detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on Drupal 7 CMS, which is a mature but aging platform. It uses jQuery 1.10, Slick Carousel, and Colorbox for UI components. Google Tag Manager is used for analytics. The site loads a moderate number of CSS and JS assets, with some external dependencies such as Cludo search and Google Tag Manager. Mobile optimization is good, but accessibility features are basic. SEO metadata and Open Graph tags are present but could be enhanced. The site lacks modern security headers and DNSSEC. Performance is moderate, with potential for improvement by updating libraries and optimizing assets. The technical stack is stable but would benefit from modernization to reduce technical debt and security risks.
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

Reviews of this site

Share your experience with nslegislature.ca. 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 nslegislature.ca.

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.