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Security report for startupbw.de

Start-up BW · Government · Germany

High risk. 5 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Network security and 1 other check.

Security score

49/100

Risk levelHigh

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

Start-up BW is a government-backed campaign by the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and supporting start-ups within the region. The website serves as a comprehensive resource hub offering information on regional ecosystems, funding opportunities, consulting, competitions, and thematic focus areas such as GreenTech and Artificial Intelligence. It targets founders, entrepreneurs, and start-ups in Baden-Württemberg, positioning itself as a key regional enabler with strong official backing and partnerships. Technically, the website is built on TYPO3 CMS, employs modern JavaScript libraries like Swiper.js for UI components, and integrates Matomo analytics for privacy-conscious user tracking. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and SEO-friendly, reflecting a mature digital infrastructure suitable for a government campaign. Performance is moderate with good responsiveness and clear navigation. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS, uses a cookie consent manager compliant with GDPR, and does not expose sensitive data or vulnerable libraries. However, it lacks explicit security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms, which are recommended for enhanced transparency and trust. The WHOIS data aligns well with the website’s official nature, showing consistent domain registration without privacy protection, reinforcing legitimacy. Overall, Start-up BW presents a trustworthy, professional, and well-maintained online presence that effectively supports its mission. Strategic improvements in security transparency and incident response communication would further strengthen its security posture and user trust.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
43/ 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

5 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

      EU business without adequate privacy measures

      EU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements

      What to do: Implement comprehensive GDPR compliance including privacy policy, cookie consent, and data protection measures

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

  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.

    • 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
    • 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. 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

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

Keep watching startupbw.de

This scan found 26 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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  • 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
72
Security headers
70
Email security
60
DNS health
70
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
43
Average
53
After the cap
49

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 · 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

Start-up BW operates as a government initiative focused on promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Baden-Württemberg. Its market positioning is strong due to official ministry backing and a broad network of regional ecosystems. The business model centers on public funding and support services rather than commercial revenue. Key competitive advantages include comprehensive regional coverage, thematic focus areas aligned with current technology trends, and active engagement through events and competitions. The target customer segments are founders, start-ups, and entrepreneurs within the region. Growth indicators include active news updates, event listings, and social media engagement. The partnership ecosystem includes key state ministries and innovation hubs, enhancing credibility and reach. Operationally, the campaign leverages digital platforms and content marketing to maximize impact.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid baseline security posture with HTTPS enforced and a GDPR-compliant cookie consent mechanism. The absence of exposed sensitive data and use of privacy-friendly analytics (Matomo) are positive indicators. However, the lack of published security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure channels represents a gap in transparency and preparedness. No security headers were detected in the provided data, suggesting room for improvement in HTTP header security controls. The WHOIS data is consistent and trustworthy, with no privacy protection that might obscure ownership. Overall, the security maturity is moderate to good but could benefit from enhanced communication and technical controls.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact information, such as a security@ or abuse@ email address.
  3. Implement and publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Add security HTTP headers including Content-Security-Policy, Strict-Transport-Security, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
  5. Include contact details for the Data Protection Officer to improve GDPR transparency and compliance.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Start-up BW
Description
Start-up BW ist die Landeskampagne des Wirtschaftsministeriums Baden-Württemberg zur Förderung und Unterstützung von Gründungen und Start-ups im Land. Die Website bietet Informationen zu regionalen Ökosystemen, Finanzierung, Beratung, Wettbewerben, Events und Fokusthemen wie GreenTech, Künstliche Intelligenz und Social Innovation.
Key services
Information und Beratung zu Gründung und Finanzierung, Vernetzung regionaler Ökosysteme, Organisation von Wettbewerben und Events, Förderung von Gründerinnen und speziellen Fokusthemen
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
TYPO3 CMS, JavaScript, Swiper.js, FontAwesome, Matomo Analytics
Frameworks
TYPO3 CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent mechanism
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No visible vulnerable libraries

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Matomo Analytics
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional government campaign site supporting start-ups in Baden-Württemberg.
  2. Content is comprehensive, well-structured, and localized in German with English alternate.
  3. Strong social media presence and official ministry links enhance trust.
  4. Cookie consent and privacy policy are implemented in compliance with GDPR.
  5. No visible security policy or incident response information found.
  6. No contact emails or phone numbers explicitly listed on main page; contact form exists.
  7. No terms of service page detected.
  8. No security.txt or vulnerability disclosure found.
  9. Site uses Matomo for privacy-friendly analytics.
  10. No advertising or affiliate programs detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on TYPO3 CMS, a robust and widely used open-source content management system, indicating a stable and maintainable infrastructure. The use of modern JavaScript libraries such as Swiper.js enhances user experience with interactive sliders and accessibility features. The site includes responsive design elements and accessibility considerations, supporting a broad user base. Performance is moderate, with compressed CSS and JS assets, but could be further optimized. The integration of Matomo analytics reflects a privacy-conscious approach to data collection. No hosting provider details were explicitly found, but the domain uses multiple authoritative nameservers, suggesting a professional hosting environment. Overall, the technical implementation is solid with opportunities for performance tuning and enhanced security headers.
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. 49/100High25 findingsView report
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