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Security report for sfu-berlin.de

Sigmund Freud Privatuniversität GmbH · Education · Germany

Partial score · DNS & email only

34/100

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

The Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität Berlin is a private European university accredited under Austrian law, offering a range of degree programs primarily in psychology, psychotherapy, media, digital journalism, and related fields. The institution targets students and professionals seeking academic and continuing education in these disciplines, positioning itself as a specialized private university with a European footprint. The website reflects a professional and well-structured digital presence, leveraging WordPress CMS and common web technologies, with good content quality and clear navigation tailored for its academic audience. Technically, the website uses Apache hosting on a Hetzner IP, with WordPress and several JavaScript libraries including jQuery and Turbolinks. SEO and accessibility features are adequately implemented, though performance data is unavailable. However, a critical security shortfall is the absence of a valid SSL certificate and HTTPS support, which severely impacts the site's security posture and user trust. Cookie consent mechanisms and GDPR compliance indicators are present, reflecting attention to privacy regulations. Security-wise, the lack of HTTPS and modern TLS protocols, absence of HSTS, and missing security headers expose the site to potential risks. No incident response or security policies are publicly documented. WHOIS data aligns well with the university's identity, showing consistent registration and no privacy protection, supporting legitimacy. Overall, while the website excels in content and business credibility, urgent improvements in security infrastructure are necessary to protect users and enhance trust. Strategic recommendations include immediate SSL deployment, enabling security headers, and enhancing incident response visibility.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
33/ 100 · High
Checks completed
6of 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. 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 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. 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
    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: PostgreSQL

      Port 5432 (PostgreSQL) is publicly accessible - PostgreSQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to PostgreSQL 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

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Keep watching sfu-berlin.de

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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
Email security
50
DNS health
85
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
33
Average
34

Not counted

  • Security headers: did not complete in this scan.
  • 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

SFU Berlin operates as a private university with a focus on psychology and psychotherapy education, accredited under Austrian law but physically located in Germany. Its business model centers on offering accredited degree programs and continuing education, supported by research and publications. The university maintains a network of partner campuses across Europe, enhancing its market position. Revenue streams likely include tuition fees, continuing education programs, and research grants. The target market includes students, academics, and professionals in mental health and related fields. The institution demonstrates a consistent brand and digital presence, with active social media engagement and event promotion, indicating a mature marketing and partnership ecosystem.

Security posture

The current security posture is weak due to the absence of HTTPS and a valid SSL certificate, which is a critical vulnerability. The site lacks modern TLS protocol support, HSTS, and essential security headers, increasing exposure to interception and attacks. Cookie consent is implemented, supporting GDPR compliance, but no explicit security or incident response policies are published. The use of WordPress and common JavaScript libraries necessitates regular updates to mitigate vulnerabilities. The lack of OCSP stapling and session resumption further impacts security and performance. Overall, the site requires urgent remediation to meet basic security standards and protect user data.

Recommendations

  1. Obtain and deploy a valid SSL/TLS certificate to enable HTTPS across the entire site immediately.
  2. Enable HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) with includeSubDomains and preload directives to enforce secure connections.
  3. Implement modern TLS protocols (TLS 1.2 or 1.3) and disable outdated protocols to enhance encryption strength.
  4. Add critical security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to mitigate common web attacks.
  5. Publish clear security policies and incident response procedures to improve transparency and preparedness.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Sigmund Freud Privatuniversität GmbH
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress CMS, utilizing Apache web server hosted on Hetzner infrastructure. It employs jQuery and Turbolinks for frontend interactivity and navigation enhancements. SEO is supported by The SEO Framework plugin and structured data in JSON-LD format, improving search engine visibility. The site is mobile responsive with good navigation clarity. However, performance metrics are missing, suggesting a need for performance monitoring and optimization. The absence of HTTPS and modern security protocols represents a significant technical debt and risk. Regular updates and security hardening are recommended to maintain operational integrity.
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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