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Security report for smartstudios.io

Smart Studios · Technology · Malta

High risk. 7 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, SSL/TLS and 2 other checks.

Security score

40/100

Risk levelHigh

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

Smart Studios is a Malta-based technology company specializing in AI and digital solutions for leading brands and startups. The company offers a range of services including AI engineering, software development, mobile app development, technology consulting, digital transformation, and staff augmentation. Positioned as a trusted partner, Smart Studios emphasizes innovation, excellence, and collaborative project ownership to deliver tailored solutions that drive business success. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand image with clear service offerings and case studies demonstrating their expertise. Technically, the website is built on WordPress using the Elementor framework, incorporating modern web technologies such as Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics for tracking and marketing purposes. The site is mobile-optimized with good SEO practices and moderate performance. Accessibility features are basic but present. Security is adequate with HTTPS enabled and no visible vulnerabilities, though additional security headers and policies could enhance the posture. From a security perspective, the site lacks explicit security policies, incident response contacts, and comprehensive privacy compliance mechanisms such as cookie consent banners. Tracking is moderate, and privacy policy exists but is basic. The domain registration is consistent with the business claims, registered since 2017 in Malta, supporting legitimacy. Overall, the site presents a low to moderate risk profile with room for improvement in privacy and security transparency. Strategically, Smart Studios should focus on enhancing privacy compliance, implementing stronger security headers, and publishing clear incident response and security policies to build greater trust and meet regulatory requirements. The technical infrastructure is solid but could benefit from performance tuning and accessibility improvements to maximize user experience and SEO impact.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
48/ 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

7 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

  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. 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 smartstudios.io

This scan found 20 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.

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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

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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
15
Email security
75
DNS health
80
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
48
Average
40

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

Smart Studios operates in the competitive technology sector, targeting enterprises and startups requiring AI and software development services. Their business model is service-oriented, leveraging a global talent network for staff augmentation and custom solutions. The company differentiates itself by emphasizing project ownership, proactive management, and change management expertise. Revenue streams likely include project-based contracts and ongoing consulting engagements. The presence of detailed case studies and a blog indicates active marketing and thought leadership efforts. Social media presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook supports brand visibility and client engagement. The company size is small, founded in 2017, with no parent or subsidiary companies identified. The Malta location positions it well for European markets, potentially benefiting from EU grants and regulations.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a moderate security maturity level with HTTPS enforced and no exposed sensitive data in the HTML content. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options reduces protection against common web attacks. No explicit security or incident response policies are published, and no dedicated security contact channels are provided. Privacy compliance is basic, lacking cookie consent mechanisms and detailed GDPR adherence statements. The use of third-party scripts like Google Analytics and LinkedIn Insight Tag introduces moderate tracking but no apparent vulnerabilities. Overall, the security posture is adequate for a small technology service provider but requires enhancements to meet higher compliance and security standards.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to mitigate common web vulnerabilities.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response plan with clear contact channels such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Introduce a cookie consent banner or mechanism to improve GDPR compliance and user privacy transparency.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and plugins to avoid vulnerabilities and ensure secure integrations.
  5. Enhance accessibility features and conduct performance optimizations to improve user experience and SEO rankings.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Smart Studios
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Smart Studios
Description
We help leading brands and startups build AI and digital solutions.
Key services
AI Engineering, Software Development, Mobile App Development, Technology Consulting, Digital Transformation & Automation, Staff Augmentation
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, Elementor, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, jQuery
Frameworks
Elementor
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
75/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No visible vulnerable libraries

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, LinkedIn Insight Tag
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Tracking pixels
LinkedIn Insight Tag
Transparency
basic

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
good
Navigation
good
Professionalism
good
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and content-rich
  2. Clear presentation of services and case studies
  3. Contact information is prominently displayed and consistent
  4. No visible security or privacy policy beyond basic privacy policy page
  5. No terms of service or incident response information found
  6. Use of modern web technologies and SEO best practices
  7. Moderate use of tracking and analytics scripts
  8. No signs of WAF or content blocking
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress CMS with the Elementor page builder plugin, leveraging modern front-end technologies including jQuery and Swiper for UI components. Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics are integrated for marketing and analytics purposes. The site uses responsive design principles and loads multiple CSS and JS assets efficiently. However, some inline styles and scripts could be optimized for better performance. The hosting provider is not explicitly identified. The site uses valid meta tags for SEO and Open Graph for social sharing. Accessibility is basic but present, with room for improvement. Overall, the technical infrastructure is solid for a small to medium business but could benefit from further optimization and security hardening.
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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