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Security report for ref-sg.ch

Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons St.Gallen · Government · Switzerland

High risk. 5 critical or high findings in Network security, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

49/100

Risk levelHigh

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

The Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons St.Gallen operates as a regional religious institution serving the canton of St.Gallen in Switzerland. The website provides information about church services, community events, pastoral care, and educational offerings. It targets local residents and church members, positioning itself as a trusted non-profit religious organization with a medium-sized operational scope. The site is well-branded and consistent, reflecting its established presence in the community. Technically, the website is built on the Contao CMS platform and leverages modern JavaScript libraries such as Vue.js and jQuery, alongside UI components like Slick Carousel and Colorbox. The site is mobile-optimized and offers a moderate performance profile. SEO and accessibility are basic but functional. No advanced analytics or tracking scripts were detected, indicating a privacy-conscious approach. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS with good SSL configuration but lacks explicit security headers and formal security or incident response policies. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found in the HTML content. Privacy compliance is partial, with a privacy policy present but no cookie consent mechanism. Contact information is clearly provided, enhancing business credibility. Overall, the website presents a low-risk profile with good business credibility and moderate technical maturity. Strategic improvements in security headers, cookie consent, and incident response documentation would enhance its security posture and compliance.

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

5 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Network security

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

    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: MySQL

      Port 3306 (MySQL) is publicly accessible - MySQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to MySQL using firewall or VPN

      • 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
    • 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

  2. 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';…

  3. 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

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

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
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  • Security headers
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  • 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
85
Security headers
80
Email security
85
DNS health
85
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
53
Average
65
After the cap
49

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 · found on this site
  • 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 church holds a stable position as a regional religious and community service provider in St.Gallen, Switzerland. Its business model is non-profit and service-oriented, focusing on spiritual care, education, and social services. The organization benefits from clear contact channels and a consistent brand presence. Partnerships with related church organizations and media outlets are evident. The absence of commercial advertising and tracking suggests a focus on community trust and privacy. Growth indicators include active event listings and educational programs. The website supports the church's mission and outreach effectively.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a basic to moderate security maturity level. HTTPS is enforced, ensuring encrypted communications. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options reduces protection against common web attacks. No formal security or incident response policies are published, which may impact readiness for security incidents. No vulnerabilities or sensitive data exposures were detected in the content. Privacy compliance is partial, lacking cookie consent mechanisms. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a non-commercial informational site but could be improved to meet higher standards and regulatory requirements.

Recommendations

  1. Implement standard security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to enhance protection against web attacks.
  2. Add a cookie consent banner and detailed cookie policy to improve GDPR compliance and user privacy transparency.
  3. Publish a formal security policy and incident response plan accessible on the website to demonstrate security governance.
  4. Consider adding a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting of security issues.
  5. Enhance accessibility features to improve usability for all users and meet WCAG standards.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons St.Gallen
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons St.Gallen
Description
Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons St.Gallen is a regional church organization serving the canton of St.Gallen, Switzerland. It provides religious services, community events, education, and pastoral care.
Key services
Religious services and worship, Pastoral care and counseling, Community events and education, Diakonie (social services), Music and cultural activities
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
jQuery, Vue.js, autoComplete.js, Slick Carousel, Colorbox, jQuery UI, Masonry, FileSaver.js, ICS.js
Frameworks
Contao CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of standard libraries with no obvious vulnerabilities

Analytics and tracking

Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Transparency
poor

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 primarily in German and focused on church activities and community services.
  3. No cookie consent banner or explicit cookie policy found.
  4. Contact information is clearly provided including phone, email, and physical address.
  5. No explicit security or incident response policies published.
  6. Use of modern JavaScript frameworks and CMS indicates moderate technical maturity.
  7. No analytics or tracking scripts detected in the provided HTML.
  8. Social media presence includes YouTube, Instagram, Vimeo with official church channels.
  9. No advertising or affiliate marketing detected.
  10. Structured data (JSON-LD) is minimal but present for images and page metadata.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on the Contao CMS platform, utilizing a combination of jQuery and Vue.js for dynamic content and user interaction. UI components such as Slick Carousel and Colorbox provide rich media presentation. The site is mobile responsive with a clean layout and structured navigation. Performance is moderate, with no major issues detected. SEO is basic with meta tags present but could be enhanced. No advanced analytics or tracking scripts were found, indicating minimal data collection. The technical stack is modern but could benefit from updated accessibility and security best practices.
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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