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Security report for pta.wa.gov.au

Public Transport Authority of Western Australia · Transportation · Australia

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, SSL/TLS and 1 other check.

Security score

55/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA) operates as the primary government agency responsible for public transportation services across Western Australia. The website serves as a comprehensive portal providing information about its key services including Transperth, Transwa, Transregional, and School Bus Services. The PTA positions itself as a safe, customer-focused, integrated, and efficient public transport provider, targeting residents and visitors within the region. The site reflects a well-established government entity with a large operational scale and a clear focus on public transport infrastructure and service delivery. Technically, the website is built on the DNN (DotNetNuke) CMS platform using ASP.NET WebForms, enhanced with jQuery, Bootstrap, and various third-party analytics and tracking tools such as Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, and Siteimprove Analytics. The site demonstrates good mobile optimization and accessibility basics, with a moderate performance profile. SEO practices are adequately implemented with proper meta tags and structured navigation. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS and includes anti-forgery tokens in forms, indicating some level of security awareness. However, there is a lack of visible security headers and no published vulnerability disclosure or incident response information. Privacy compliance is partially addressed with a comprehensive privacy policy and terms of use, but the absence of a cookie consent mechanism despite tracking scripts is a notable gap. No contact emails or phone numbers are explicitly provided on the homepage, which may affect user trust and support accessibility. Overall, the PTA website is a professional and trustworthy government site with solid business credibility and technical implementation. Security posture is adequate but could be improved with enhanced headers, explicit consent mechanisms, and incident response transparency. Strategic recommendations include implementing cookie consent, publishing security policies, and improving security headers to strengthen compliance and user trust.

Scanned

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

5 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

      No HTTPS encryption

      GDPR requires appropriate security measures for personal data

      What to do: Implement SSL/TLS certificate for HTTPS

    • 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.

    • Critical

      No HTTPS Encryption

      Website does not use HTTPS encryption, making all data transmission vulnerable to interception

      What to do: Implement SSL/TLS certificate and redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS

  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 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';…

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Keep watching pta.wa.gov.au

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.

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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
0
Security headers
40
Email security
85
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
28
Average
55

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 PTA holds a dominant market position as the official public transport authority in Western Australia, operating multiple transport services and infrastructure projects. Its business model is government-funded and service-oriented, focusing on public welfare and connectivity. The website highlights partnerships with METRONET and other regional transport services, indicating a collaborative ecosystem. The PTA targets a broad audience including daily commuters, regional travelers, students, and government stakeholders. Growth indicators include ongoing projects and infrastructure upgrades showcased on the site. The absence of commercial revenue streams or affiliate programs aligns with its public service mandate. The PTA maintains a consistent brand and professional content, reinforcing its authoritative presence in the transportation sector.

Security posture

The PTA website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level. HTTPS is enforced, and forms include anti-forgery tokens, reducing risks of common web attacks. However, the lack of security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options exposes potential vulnerabilities to clickjacking and cross-site scripting. The presence of multiple tracking scripts without explicit cookie consent may pose privacy compliance risks under GDPR or similar regulations. No vulnerability disclosure or incident response contacts are published, limiting transparency and readiness for security incidents. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. Overall, the security posture is functional but requires enhancements to meet best practices and regulatory expectations.

Recommendations

  1. Implement a visible and compliant cookie consent mechanism to address privacy and tracking concerns.
  2. Add security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-XSS-Protection to strengthen defense against web attacks.
  3. Publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to improve transparency and incident response readiness.
  4. Provide clear contact information for security incidents or abuse reports to enhance trust and compliance.
  5. Regularly audit third-party scripts and libraries to ensure no vulnerabilities or privacy risks are introduced.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Public Transport Authority of Western Australia
Description
The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. Making public transport an attractive and sustainable choice for connecting people and places.
Key services
Transperth, Transwa, Transregional, School Bus Services
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery, jQuery UI, Bootstrap, EasyDNN Solutions, Facebook Pixel, Google Tag Manager, Siteimprove Analytics
Frameworks
ASP.NET WebForms
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of HTTPS (implied by domain and scripts)
  • No visible exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure form with anti-forgery tokens (__RequestVerificationToken)

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager), Siteimprove Analytics, Facebook Pixel
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Siteimprove Analytics
Marketing tools
Facebook Pixel
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a government public transport authority site for Western Australia
  2. Content is comprehensive with clear navigation and multiple service links
  3. No explicit cookie consent banner found despite tracking scripts present
  4. No visible contact emails or phone numbers on the homepage content
  5. Use of multiple analytics and tracking services without explicit user consent mechanism
  6. No visible security.txt or vulnerability disclosure policy
  7. Privacy policy and terms of use are present and accessible
  8. Site uses ASP.NET WebForms and DNN CMS with jQuery and Bootstrap
  9. No signs of blocking or WAF challenge pages
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a mature ASP.NET WebForms platform using the DNN CMS, supported by jQuery and Bootstrap for UI components. It integrates multiple third-party analytics and marketing tools, including Google Tag Manager and Facebook Pixel, indicating a moderate level of digital marketing sophistication. The site is mobile responsive with good navigation clarity and SEO optimization. Performance is moderate, likely influenced by multiple external scripts and rotator modules. The technical stack is stable but somewhat dated, with opportunities to modernize by adopting newer frameworks or optimizing script loading. Accessibility is basic but could be improved to meet higher standards. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports the business needs effectively 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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