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Security report for popcornwebdesign.co.uk

Popcorn Web Design · Technology · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in Security headers, SSL/TLS and 1 other check.

Security score

58/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Popcorn Web Design is a small, established UK-based web design company with approximately 29 years of experience, specializing in bespoke website design, eCommerce solutions, SEO, hosting, and ongoing support. The company targets businesses primarily in London, Essex, Hertfordshire, and globally, offering tailored digital services with a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction and quality. Their market position is supported by award-winning recognition and positive client testimonials. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern plugins such as Yoast SEO and WooCommerce, and integrates Google Analytics and live chat for enhanced user engagement. The site is mobile-optimized, SEO-friendly, and demonstrates good accessibility standards. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and GDPR compliance evident through cookie consent mechanisms and privacy policies, though explicit security headers and incident response information are absent. WHOIS data query was unsuccessful due to querying the 'www.' subdomain instead of the base domain, resulting in incomplete domain registration data. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and well-maintained, with minor areas for security enhancement.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
95/ 100 · Low
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 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';…

  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 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

  3. Network security

    Services reachable from the internet are the first thing attackers probe. Anything open that does not need to be should be closed.

    • High

      High-Risk Service Exposed: FTP

      Port 21 (FTP) is publicly accessible - FTP - Often unencrypted file transfer

      What to do: Consider restricting access to FTP or implementing strong authentication

      • NIS2 21(2)(e)
      • IR 2024/2690 6.7.2(f): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 6.7.2(f): Network security
      • NIST CM-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-7: Least Functionality
      • NIST SC-7: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7: Boundary Protection

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching popcornwebdesign.co.uk

This scan found 25 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.

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Full report

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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
72
Security headers
25
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
95
Average
58

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

Popcorn Web Design operates in the technology sector as a service provider focused on web design and digital marketing services. Their competitive advantage lies in their long-standing experience, bespoke service offerings, and strong client relationships evidenced by high ratings and testimonials. The business model revolves around project-based and ongoing support services, including hosting and SEO. Their target customers are SMEs and organizations seeking customized digital solutions in the UK and beyond. The company maintains an active social media presence and leverages modern web technologies to deliver quality services. Growth indicators include a diverse portfolio of clients and continuous service expansion. No parent or subsidiary companies were identified, indicating an independent operation.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enabled and GDPR-compliant cookie management. However, the absence of visible security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP), X-Frame-Options, and HSTS suggests room for improvement. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. The use of third-party scripts like Google Analytics and Tawk.to live chat introduces potential risk vectors that require regular auditing. Incident response and security policy information are not publicly available, which could impact transparency and readiness. Overall, the security posture is good but could be enhanced by implementing additional HTTP security headers and publishing incident response contacts.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive HTTP security headers including CSP, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options to strengthen site security.
  2. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and preparedness.
  3. Regularly audit third-party scripts and plugins for vulnerabilities and update them promptly.
  4. Ensure all forms include anti-CSRF tokens and robust input validation to prevent injection attacks.
  5. Consider verifying and correcting WHOIS data queries to ensure accurate domain registration information is available.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Popcorn Web Design
Description
Website Designers London, Essex, Hertfordshire. Popcorn is a Web Design Company of 29 years, advanced websites, web support & SEO.
Key services
Bespoke Website Design, Ecommerce Website Design, Predesigned Websites, Graphic Design, Website Support and Maintenance, Search Engine Optimisation SEO, Website Hosting, Free Website Audit
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, Yoast SEO plugin, WooCommerce, Swiper.js, Google Analytics 4, Tawk.to live chat
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of GDPR cookie compliance plugin
  • Privacy policy and cookie consent implemented

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics 4
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Google Analytics 4
Marketing tools
Tawk.to live chat
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 rich content and professional design.
  2. Strong focus on bespoke web design and related digital services.
  3. Clear contact information with company email and phone number.
  4. Active social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram.
  5. Use of modern web technologies and SEO best practices.
  6. Privacy and cookie policies implemented with GDPR compliance.
  7. No visible security policy or incident response information.
  8. WHOIS data query was performed incorrectly on 'www.' subdomain causing failure.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform using modern plugins such as Yoast SEO for search optimization and WooCommerce for eCommerce capabilities. It employs JavaScript libraries like Swiper.js for interactive elements and integrates Google Analytics 4 for user tracking. The site is mobile responsive with good accessibility features and optimized meta tags for SEO. Performance is moderate, with some lazy loading of images and asynchronous script loading. The technical infrastructure appears well-maintained with no visible technical debt or deprecated technologies. Opportunities exist to enhance security headers and improve incident response readiness.
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

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