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Security report for psbook.co.uk

P S Bookkeeping & Accountancy · Finance · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

58/100

Risk levelMedium

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

P S Bookkeeping & Accountancy is a well-established small business specializing in bookkeeping, payroll, company accounts, VAT, and tax services primarily serving clients in Colchester and the wider UK. Founded in 1988, the company emphasizes personal, reliable, and cost-effective accounting solutions tailored to businesses of all sizes. Their market position is that of a trusted local specialist with a loyal client base and a reputation for quality service. The website reflects this with clear service descriptions and contact information. Technically, the website is built on Drupal 7 with the Foundation CSS framework, utilizing modern JavaScript libraries such as jQuery and integrating Google Analytics and reCAPTCHA for analytics and security. Hosting is via Cloudflare, providing robust SSL/TLS encryption. The site is moderately performant and mobile-optimized, though some technical debt is evident due to the older CMS version. From a security perspective, the site benefits from HTTPS and spam protection via reCAPTCHA, but lacks several recommended security headers and explicit privacy or security policies. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. Privacy compliance is basic, with a privacy policy present but no cookie consent mechanism. Contact information is comprehensive and professional, enhancing business credibility. Overall, the website presents a low-risk profile with good business credibility and a solid technical foundation. Strategic improvements in privacy compliance and security headers would enhance trust and security posture further.

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

6 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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
    • 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

  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. 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 Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1

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

Keep watching psbook.co.uk

This scan found 28 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

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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
32
Security headers
40
Email security
55
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
53
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

The company operates in the finance sector, focusing on accounting and payroll services for small to medium businesses. Their competitive advantage lies in personalized service, long-standing market presence since 1988, and use of reputable accounting software like Sage Line 50. Revenue streams likely include recurring bookkeeping, payroll management, tax preparation, and business startup services. The target customers are local businesses in Colchester and surrounding areas, including sole traders and corporations. The company maintains partnerships with recognized bodies such as the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers and HMRC, enhancing credibility. Growth indicators include a maintained website with updated content and client testimonials. The business model is service-oriented with a focus on compliance and client support.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS enforced and Google reCAPTCHA protecting the contact form from spam. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options reduces defense-in-depth. No incident response or security policy information is published, indicating limited transparency in security governance. GDPR compliance is partial, with a privacy policy present but no cookie consent mechanism or detailed data protection officer contact. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found, and no suspicious activity is evident. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a small business but could be improved with enhanced policies and technical controls.

Recommendations

  1. Implement security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to strengthen browser security.
  2. Add a comprehensive cookie policy and implement a cookie consent mechanism to improve privacy compliance and GDPR adherence.
  3. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information to enhance transparency and preparedness.
  4. Upgrade the CMS from Drupal 7 to a supported version to reduce technical debt and improve security.
  5. Enhance accessibility features to improve usability for all users and comply with accessibility standards.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
P S Bookkeeping & Accountancy
Description
P S Bookkeeping & Accountancy provide a comprehensive service to clients in Colchester which includes payroll, company accounts, VAT, self assessment and more. Established since 1988, they offer personal, reliable and cost-effective bookkeeping and accounting services for businesses of all sizes.
Key services
Payroll, Bookkeeping, Company Accounts, VAT returns submissions, Self-assessments, Business start ups, Personal tax returns, Partnership tax returns, Pension automatic enrollment and administration, Corporation tax computations
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery, Google Analytics, Google reCAPTCHA, Sage Line 50 (accounting software)
Frameworks
Drupal 7, Foundation CSS framework
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Google reCAPTCHA on contact form
  • Anonymize IP in Google Analytics

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenges.
  2. Content is business-focused and professionally presented.
  3. Contact information is comprehensive and clearly displayed.
  4. No explicit privacy or cookie consent mechanisms detected.
  5. Security posture is good but can be improved with additional headers and policies.
  6. Use of Drupal 7 indicates some technical debt but site is functional and maintained.
  7. Google Analytics and reCAPTCHA are implemented for tracking and spam prevention.
  8. No suspicious or malicious content detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on Drupal 7 CMS with the Foundation CSS framework and uses jQuery for client-side scripting. Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager are integrated for analytics, with IP anonymization enabled. Google reCAPTCHA v2 is implemented on the contact form to prevent spam. Hosting is via Cloudflare, providing SSL/TLS encryption and domain registration services. The site loads multiple CSS and JS assets, including carousel and captcha modules. Performance is moderate, with responsive design and mobile optimization present. However, the use of Drupal 7 indicates aging infrastructure with potential security risks if not regularly patched. No modern JavaScript frameworks or advanced performance optimizations were detected. SEO is supported by meta tags and canonical URLs. Overall, the technical infrastructure is functional but would benefit from modernization and enhanced security controls.
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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