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Security report for science-link.eu

Science Link · Other · N/a

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

74/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Science Link is a European Union part-financed flagship project that operates as a network connecting leading research facilities specializing in photon and neutron sources with their users. The project facilitates innovation and entrepreneurship in the Baltic Sea Region by providing companies and researchers free access to advanced large-scale research infrastructures for R&D purposes. The website reflects a professional and well-structured digital presence, leveraging modern web technologies such as Bootstrap and Matomo analytics, and is built on the Zope Management System CMS. The content is relevant and targeted towards companies and research entities seeking scientific collaboration and access to specialized measurement facilities. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS, includes privacy and cookie consent mechanisms, and uses privacy-friendly social sharing tools, although it lacks explicit security policy and incident response contact information. The absence of WHOIS registrant data is due to privacy protection policies by EURid, which is justified given the nature of the project. Overall, the website presents a trustworthy and credible digital front for the Science Link network, with moderate technical performance and good privacy compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
43/ 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

3 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

      EU business without adequate privacy measures

      EU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements

      What to do: Implement comprehensive GDPR compliance including privacy policy, cookie consent, and data protection measures

    • 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

  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

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

Keep watching science-link.eu

This scan found 19 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
62
Security headers
80
Email security
70
DNS health
90
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
43
Average
74

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

Science Link occupies a niche position as a non-profit network project supported by the EU Baltic Sea Region Programme, involving 17 partners from 8 countries. Its competitive advantage lies in providing free access to cutting-edge research facilities, fostering innovation in multiple scientific sectors including materials science, life sciences, and energy. The business model is collaborative and service-oriented, targeting companies and researchers in the Baltic Sea Region. The partnership ecosystem includes reputable institutions such as DESY and Helmholtz centers, enhancing credibility and reach. Growth indicators include ongoing calls for free beamtime and active event participation. The website's content and partner logos reinforce the project's legitimacy and strategic alignment with EU innovation goals.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS, cookie consent banners, and privacy-conscious social sharing plugins. However, it lacks visible HTTP security headers and explicit security or incident response policies, which are recommended best practices. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the analysis. The use of Matomo analytics indicates a preference for privacy-friendly tracking. The absence of direct contact information for security incidents is a gap that could be addressed to improve incident response readiness and user trust. Overall, the security posture is solid but could benefit from enhanced transparency and technical hardening.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Referrer-Policy to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy page including incident response contact details to improve transparency and preparedness.
  3. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and libraries to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance accessibility features to meet higher standards and improve user experience for all visitors.
  5. Consider adding verified company contact information on the website to improve business credibility and user trust.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Science Link
Description
Science Link is a network between leading research facilities of photon and neutron sources and their users. The project aims to support and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the Baltic Sea Region by offering free access to measurements and feasibility studies using neutron or synchrotron radiation at Europe's leading large-scale facilities.
Key services
Free beamtime access to large-scale research facilities, Feasibility studies using neutron and synchrotron radiation, Support and promotion of innovation in the Baltic Sea Region
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Bootstrap CSS, jQuery, Matomo Analytics, Zope Management System (ZMS) CMS
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent banner implemented
  • Social share privacy plugin with 2-click activation

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Matomo Analytics
Transparency
good

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. WHOIS data is unavailable due to privacy protection and EURid policy.
  3. Site uses HTTPS and includes privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms.
  4. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on the homepage.
  5. Content is focused on research infrastructure access and innovation support.
  6. No security policy or incident response information explicitly provided.
  7. Uses Matomo analytics with cookie consent and privacy-friendly social share buttons.
  8. No advertising or affiliate marketing detected.
  9. Site is multilingual but default content is in English and German.
  10. Site uses Zope CMS and Bootstrap framework.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on the Zope Management System CMS and uses Bootstrap for responsive design, ensuring good mobile optimization and navigation clarity. It employs Matomo for analytics, favoring privacy compliance. The site loads with moderate performance and includes a cookie consent mechanism aligned with GDPR requirements. The technical stack is modern but could be improved by adding security headers and optimizing accessibility. Hosting details are not explicitly identified, but the presence of DESY-related domains and Matomo hosted at matomo.desy.de suggests hosting or analytics services linked to DESY. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports the business goals effectively with room for security and performance enhancements.
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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