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Security report for sidn.nl

SIDN · Technology · Netherlands

Low risk. 2 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS and GDPR outside view.

Security score

76/100

Risk levelLow

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

SIDN is the official registry operator for the .nl domain namespace, providing domain registration and cybersecurity services primarily to businesses and individuals in the Netherlands. The website is professionally designed with excellent content quality, clear navigation, and strong branding consistency. It offers key services such as Whois lookup, domain portfolio management, and cybersecurity solutions including brand monitoring to protect against phishing and reputational damage. The company maintains a strong market position as the authoritative .nl domain registry. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including JavaScript, CSS, Algolia for search, Google Tag Manager, and Piwik PRO for analytics, alongside a consent management platform (Usercentrics) to ensure GDPR compliance. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, with good SEO practices and performance. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforced, appropriate security headers, and no visible vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. While the site lacks a dedicated security policy or incident response page, it demonstrates good privacy and cookie policy implementation with consent mechanisms. WHOIS data aligns well with the website's claims, confirming legitimacy and trustworthiness. No adult or questionable content is present, making the site safe for general audiences. Overall, SIDN's website reflects a mature, trustworthy, and professional digital presence suitable for its role as a critical internet infrastructure provider in the Netherlands.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 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

2 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.

    • Critical

      Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

      Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

      What to do: Check if the server is accessible and SSL/TLS is properly configured

  2. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • 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

Keep watching sidn.nl

This scan found 9 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
0
Security headers
90
Email security
97
DNS health
90
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
80
Average
76

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

SIDN operates as an essential entity in the Dutch internet ecosystem, managing over 6 million .nl domains and processing billions of daily queries. Its business model centers on domain registry services and cybersecurity offerings, targeting businesses and individuals requiring domain management and protection against cyber threats. SIDN Labs acts as a research partner, enhancing cybersecurity capabilities. The company benefits from a strong brand, official status, and a comprehensive service portfolio. Growth indicators include active cybersecurity product development and community engagement through panels and newsletters. Partnerships with SIDN Labs and integration of advanced analytics tools support strategic operations and market positioning.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a high level of security maturity with enforced HTTPS, robust security headers, and secure form implementations. Privacy compliance is evident through detailed policies and consent management. However, the absence of a public security policy, incident response contact, or vulnerability disclosure program suggests room for improvement in transparency and incident readiness. No vulnerabilities or suspicious patterns were detected in the content or WHOIS data. The security culture appears proactive but could benefit from enhanced communication on security governance and incident handling.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security governance and controls.
  2. Provide explicit incident response contact information and procedures.
  3. Implement and publicize a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file.
  4. Regularly review and update third-party scripts to mitigate supply chain risks.
  5. Enhance transparency on certifications and compliance attestations to boost trust.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
SIDN
Description
SIDN manages the .nl domain namespace, offering domain registration services and cybersecurity solutions such as brand monitoring and phishing protection.
Key services
.nl domain registration, Whois lookup, Domain portfolio management, Cybersecurity services including SIDN Merkbewaking, Registry services
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, Algolia (search), Google Tag Manager, Piwik PRO analytics, Usercentrics CMP
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Secure forms with CSRF protection implied
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Privacy compliant cookie consent

Analytics and tracking

Services
Piwik PRO, Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Piwik PRO
Marketing tools
Usercentrics CMP
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 no blocking or WAF challenges.
  2. Comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms are implemented.
  3. Clear contact information including email and phone is provided.
  4. Strong branding and consistent professional design.
  5. Use of modern analytics and consent management tools.
  6. No security or privacy red flags detected in content or WHOIS data.
  7. No explicit security policy or incident response page found.
  8. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern and well-structured tech stack including JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5, with integration of Algolia for search functionality and Piwik PRO and Google Tag Manager for analytics. The presence of Usercentrics CMP indicates strong privacy compliance. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, with good SEO metadata and structured data (JSON-LD) for organization and webpage schema. Performance is moderate, with preloading of fonts and asynchronous loading of scripts. Hosting provider details are not explicitly identified. Overall, the technical implementation supports a robust and user-friendly experience with opportunities to enhance security transparency.
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

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 88/100Low16 findingsView report
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