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Security report for sciencefestival.co.uk

Edinburgh Science · Education · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in Email security and SSL/TLS.

Security score

73/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Edinburgh Science is a well-established educational charity founded in 1989, dedicated to delivering the annual Edinburgh Science Festival along with schools and community engagement programs. The organization positions itself as a leader in science education and public engagement within the UK, targeting a broad audience including schools, families, and community groups. Their business model is non-profit, focusing on educational outreach and charitable activities. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand image, with comprehensive content and clear navigation tailored to their audience. Technically, the website is built on WordPress 7.0.1, utilizing modern web technologies such as jQuery, Gravity Forms, Google Tag Manager, and various analytics and tracking tools including Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, and Microsoft Clarity. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and SEO-friendly, with a moderate performance profile. Cookie consent and privacy compliance are well implemented, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses Google reCAPTCHA on forms to mitigate spam. While explicit security headers are not clearly detected, the site follows good practices by avoiding exposed sensitive data and using consent management tools. No vulnerabilities or malicious indicators were found. The lack of WHOIS data is due to a domain query error and does not reflect on the legitimacy of the organization, which is supported by consistent branding and external trust signals. Overall, Edinburgh Science presents a low-risk profile with strong business credibility and a good security posture. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, maintaining up-to-date software, and improving incident response transparency to further strengthen trust and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
83/ 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

3 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

    • Critical

      No email authentication configured

      Domain is vulnerable to email spoofing

      What to do: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC immediately

  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
    • High

      SSL Certificate Expires Soon

      SSL certificate expires in 29 days

      What to do: Renew SSL certificate before expiration

      • NIS2 21(2)(h)
      • IR 2024/2690 9.2(c): Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690, Annex point 9.2(c): Cryptography
      • NIST SC-17: NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-17: Public Key Infrastructure Certificates

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

Keep watching sciencefestival.co.uk

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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
47
Security headers
85
Email security
60
DNS health
60
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
83
Average
73

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

Edinburgh Science operates as a medium-sized non-profit educational charity with a focus on science festivals, school programs, and community engagement. Their market position is strong within the UK science education sector, leveraging a well-known annual festival and diverse outreach initiatives. Revenue streams likely include event ticket sales, donations, grants, and commissioned projects. The target customer segments include educators, families, community organizations, and science enthusiasts. The organization maintains an active partnership ecosystem, including digital marketing and web development partners such as Cog Design. Growth indicators include ongoing event calls for participation and active social media engagement. The website content and structure reflect a strategic focus on accessibility, inclusivity, and educational impact.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced and use of Google reCAPTCHA to protect forms from spam and abuse. Cookie consent management is comprehensive, supporting GDPR compliance. The presence of multiple analytics and tracking tools is balanced with user consent mechanisms. However, explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options are not clearly present and should be implemented to enhance protection against common web attacks. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected. Incident response and security policy information are not publicly available, representing an area for improvement. Overall, the site is secure for its purpose but could benefit from enhanced header configurations and published security contacts.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to mitigate common web vulnerabilities.
  2. Maintain regular updates of WordPress core, themes, and plugins to reduce risk of exploitation.
  3. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and readiness.
  4. Review third-party scripts and tracking tools periodically to ensure ongoing privacy compliance and minimize risk exposure.
  5. Conduct periodic security audits and penetration testing to proactively identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Edinburgh Science Foundation
Registration number
SC003790
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Edinburgh Science
Description
Edinburgh Science Foundation is an educational charity behind the annual Science Festival, making science engaging and accessible for all ages.
Key services
Annual Science Festival, Schools education programs, Community engagement projects, Event commissioning
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 7.0.1, jQuery 3.7.1, Gravity Forms, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, CookieYes Consent Management, YouTube iframe API, Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity
Frameworks
Gravity Forms plugin
Platforms
WordPress CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA on forms
  • Cookie consent banner with customization
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No vulnerable libraries detected

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google DoubleClick
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar
Marketing tools
CookieYes
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 multimedia
  2. Strong focus on science education and community engagement
  3. Comprehensive cookie consent and privacy compliance mechanisms
  4. Use of modern web technologies and analytics tools
  5. No signs of malicious or suspicious content
  6. WHOIS data unavailable due to domain query error, not indicative of malicious intent
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern WordPress platform with a well-integrated tech stack including jQuery, Gravity Forms, Google Tag Manager, and multiple analytics tools. The use of CookieYes for consent management indicates attention to privacy compliance. Performance is moderate, with lazy loading of images and responsive design for mobile devices. Accessibility features such as ARIA labels and keyboard navigation support are present. The site uses CDN services for static content delivery, improving load times. Technical debt appears low, but the absence of explicit security headers suggests room for modernization in security practices. Overall, the infrastructure supports a professional and user-friendly experience aligned with the organization's mission.
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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