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Security report for openstreetmap.org

OpenStreetMap · Transportation · N/a

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

Security score

76/100

Risk levelLow

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

OpenStreetMap is a globally recognized open-source mapping platform that provides free and editable map data created by a community of contributors. It holds a leading position in the open geospatial data sector, offering services such as map viewing, editing, GPS trace uploads, and routing. The platform targets a general audience including developers, researchers, and the public seeking free map data. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including JavaScript, Leaflet.js for map rendering, Turbo (Hotwire) for dynamic content, and Bootstrap for responsive design. Hosting is provided by Fastly, ensuring fast content delivery and good performance. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced, CSRF protection, and CSP nonces, though some security headers are missing and no cookie consent mechanism is present despite use of Matomo analytics. The WHOIS data is unavailable or protected, which is typical for large open projects, but the domain is well-known and trusted. Overall, the website is professional, secure, and compliant with privacy regulations, with minor improvements recommended in cookie consent and security headers.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
50/ 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. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • 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

    • 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 openstreetmap.org

This scan found 16 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.

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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
75
Security headers
80
Email security
73
DNS health
80
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
50
Average
76

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

OpenStreetMap operates as a non-profit, community-driven entity in the transportation and geospatial data sector. Its business model revolves around open collaboration and providing free map data under an open license, supported by donations and corporate sponsors. The platform enjoys a strong market position as the leading open-source mapping service, with a broad user base including developers, governments, and NGOs. Partnerships with Fastly and the OpenStreetMap Foundation enhance its infrastructure and governance. The absence of direct contact information on the main site aligns with its community-centric approach. The platform's growth is driven by active community contributions and global adoption of its data. Strategic observations include the need to enhance privacy transparency and formalize security policies to further strengthen trust.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS, CSRF tokens, and Content Security Policy nonces implemented. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as HSTS, X-Content-Type-Options, and X-Frame-Options represents an area for improvement. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analyzed content. The lack of a published security policy or incident response contacts limits transparency in security governance. Privacy compliance is generally good, but the missing cookie consent mechanism despite the use of Matomo analytics is a compliance gap under GDPR. Incident response readiness and security culture indicators are not evident from the content. Overall, the security posture is strong but could benefit from enhanced header configurations and formalized security documentation.

Recommendations

  1. Implement a cookie consent banner/mechanism to comply with GDPR and enhance user privacy transparency.
  2. Add explicit security headers including HSTS, X-Content-Type-Options, and X-Frame-Options to strengthen security posture.
  3. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information on the website.
  4. Regularly audit third-party scripts and analytics tools to ensure no privacy or security risks.
  5. Enhance accessibility features and continue maintaining mobile optimization for broader user inclusivity.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
OpenStreetMap
Description
OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.
Key services
Map viewing, Map editing, GPS trace uploads, Routing and directions, Community engagement
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, Leaflet.js, Turbo (Hotwire), Bootstrap, SVG
Frameworks
Turbo (Hotwire), Bootstrap
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • CSRF tokens present
  • Content Security Policy nonce present

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and interactive map features.
  2. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on the main page.
  3. Strong community and open license emphasis.
  4. No cookie consent mechanism detected despite use of tracking pixel.
  5. WHOIS data is unavailable or protected, common for large open projects.
  6. No signs of security blocking or WAF challenges.
  7. Use of modern web technologies and good mobile optimization.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern and efficient technology stack including JavaScript, Leaflet.js for interactive maps, Turbo (Hotwire) for dynamic page updates, and Bootstrap for responsive design. Hosting via Fastly ensures fast content delivery and scalability. The site is well-structured with proper meta tags and SEO optimization. Accessibility is good, and mobile optimization is excellent. No CMS is detected, indicating a custom or framework-based implementation. Performance is fast with no broken elements or errors observed. The use of SVG icons and progressive enhancement techniques reflects a mature front-end implementation. Opportunities exist to improve security headers and privacy mechanisms to reduce technical 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

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 76/100Low25 findingsView report
  2. 76/100 −1Low25 findingsView report
  3. 77/100Low21 findingsView report
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