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Security report for shepherd.co.uk

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors · Real Estate · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Network security and 1 other check.

Security score

56/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors is a leading property surveying and valuation firm based in Scotland, with a history dating back to 1880. The company offers a broad range of services including residential home reports, commercial property search, valuations, lease advisory, and asset management. Their market position is strong within Scotland, supported by a nationwide office network and a merger with Hardies Property and Construction Consultants. The website reflects a professional and well-established business with a focus on property clients and investors. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using popular plugins such as WPBakery Page Builder and Slider Revolution. It integrates Google Analytics and Tag Manager for tracking and marketing purposes, alongside customer review widgets from Reviews.io. The site is mobile-optimized and demonstrates good SEO practices, although accessibility features are basic. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses spam protection on forms and cookie consent mechanisms, indicating a reasonable security posture. However, explicit security headers and detailed security policies are not publicly visible, suggesting room for improvement in transparency and hardening. The WHOIS data query was unsuccessful due to an invalid domain format, which slightly impacts trust but does not detract from the professional appearance and content of the site. Overall, the website presents a credible and trustworthy business with good technical implementation and moderate privacy compliance. Strategic improvements in security transparency and privacy policy visibility would enhance the site's trustworthiness and compliance posture.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
100/ 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

5 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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

  2. Network security

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

    • 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

  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 Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1
    • High

      Missing X-Frame-Options header

      Prevents clickjacking attacks

      What to do: Add "X-Frame-Options: DENY" or "X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN"

    • 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';…

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

Keep watching shepherd.co.uk

This scan found 23 issues across 5 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

€25per month

  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

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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
15
Email security
85
DNS health
70
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
100
Average
56

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

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors operates in the real estate sector, focusing on surveying, valuation, and property management services primarily in Scotland. Their competitive advantage lies in their long-standing history since 1880, extensive local market knowledge, and a comprehensive service offering that spans residential and commercial property sectors. The business model is service-oriented, targeting property buyers, sellers, investors, and commercial clients. Revenue streams likely include fees for home reports, valuations, auction services, and consultancy. The company has strategic partnerships and a merger with Hardies Property and Construction Consultants, expanding their construction-related services. The presence of a dedicated careers subdomain indicates ongoing growth and talent acquisition efforts. The company maintains a strong digital presence with customer reviews and marketing integrations, supporting brand reputation and client acquisition.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a moderate to good security maturity level. HTTPS is enforced, and forms incorporate spam protection and Google reCAPTCHA, reducing risk from automated abuse. Cookie consent mechanisms indicate awareness of GDPR compliance. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options in the visible HTML suggests potential gaps in defense-in-depth. No public security or incident response policies were found, which limits transparency and preparedness perception. The use of third-party plugins and scripts necessitates regular updates to mitigate vulnerabilities. No obvious vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the content. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a professional services website but could be enhanced by publishing security policies and implementing additional HTTP security headers.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a clear and comprehensive privacy policy accessible from the homepage or footer to improve privacy compliance and user trust.
  2. Implement and verify HTTP security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to strengthen security posture.
  3. Regularly audit and update WordPress core, themes, and plugins to mitigate risks from known vulnerabilities.
  4. Develop and publish incident response and security policies to enhance transparency and preparedness.
  5. Enhance accessibility features to meet recognized standards and improve user experience for all visitors.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Shepherd Chartered Surveyors
Description
We are Scotland’s leading Chartered Surveyors, valuers, property agents & managers. With decades of experience, you're in the best of hands.
Key services
Home Reports, Energy Performance Certificates, Mortgage Valuations, Commercial Property Search, Commercial Auctions, Property Valuation, Lease Advisory, Asset Management
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, WPBakery Page Builder, Slider Revolution, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, jQuery, REV Slider, Contact Form 7, PropertyHive plugin, Reviews.io widget
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA
  • Contact forms with spam protection
  • Consent management for cookies

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Tracking pixels
REVIEWS.io
Marketing tools
REVIEWS.io, Agile Company Intelligence
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 rich content and professional design
  2. No WAF or blocking mechanisms detected
  3. WHOIS query was performed on an invalid domain format, resulting in no data
  4. Strong presence of customer reviews and trust signals
  5. Use of multiple third-party analytics and marketing tools with consent mechanisms
  6. No explicit privacy policy or terms of service links found on homepage
  7. Cookie consent banner and GDPR compliance mechanisms present
  8. Contact information is clearly displayed with phone and contact links
  9. Website uses WordPress CMS with common plugins and technologies
  10. No security policy or incident response information publicly available
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress CMS with a modern tech stack including WPBakery Page Builder and Slider Revolution for content management and presentation. It integrates Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics for tracking and marketing analytics. The site uses jQuery and several WordPress plugins such as Contact Form 7 and PropertyHive for forms and property listings. Performance is moderate with some heavy slider elements but overall good mobile optimization. SEO is supported by Yoast SEO plugin with proper meta tags and structured data (JSON-LD). Accessibility is basic, with room for improvement in ARIA roles and keyboard navigation. Hosting provider details are not evident from the content. The technical infrastructure supports a professional real estate service website but should focus on improving security headers and accessibility compliance.
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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