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Security report for steelworksacademy.co.uk

Steelworks Academy · Education · United Kingdom

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Network security and 2 other checks.

Security score

51/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Steelworks Academy is a UK-based dance and performance education provider focused on inspiring and challenging students to excel in performing arts. The website presents a professional and consistent brand image, offering key services such as dance classes, performance training, and access to facilities. The target audience includes students and performing arts enthusiasts seeking quality education in this sector. Technically, the site is built on WordPress with WooCommerce integration, leveraging common plugins for forms, GDPR compliance, and analytics. The infrastructure supports HTTPS with Google reCAPTCHA for form security and cookie consent mechanisms, indicating a moderate level of digital maturity. Security posture is generally good with no evident vulnerabilities, though security headers are not explicitly detected and could be improved. Privacy compliance is addressed with clear policies and consent banners. Overall, the site is trustworthy and professionally maintained, though WHOIS data is incomplete due to domain lookup issues, which do not appear to impact legitimacy. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, adding explicit security policies, and maintaining plugin updates to mitigate risks.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
85/ 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

6 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 steelworksacademy.co.uk

This scan found 24 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
57
Security headers
15
Email security
70
DNS health
60
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
85
Average
51

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

Steelworks Academy holds a strong position as a regional leader in dance and performance education, targeting students and performers in the UK. The business model centers on educational services with revenue likely from class fees and facility usage. The website supports this with clear service offerings, timetables, and news updates. The presence of social media channels and testimonials enhances credibility and customer engagement. The company operates as a small-sized entity within the education sector, with no parent or subsidiary affiliations detected. The digital presence is well-structured, supporting growth and community interaction. No direct partnerships or related domains were identified beyond social media platforms. The business shows indicators of stability and professionalism suitable for its market niche.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid security foundation with HTTPS enforced and Google reCAPTCHA protecting forms against automated abuse. Cookie consent mechanisms align with GDPR requirements, reflecting compliance awareness. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as Content Security Policy, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options suggests room for improvement in defense-in-depth strategies. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the provided content. The lack of a dedicated security policy or incident response contact limits transparency in security governance. Overall, the security posture is moderate to good but would benefit from enhanced header implementation and documented security policies to strengthen trust and resilience.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive HTTP security headers including CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and X-XSS-Protection to enhance browser security.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and incident response procedures to improve transparency.
  3. Regularly audit and update WordPress plugins and themes to mitigate vulnerabilities, especially WooCommerce and contact form plugins.
  4. Enhance privacy compliance by detailing data retention policies and providing clear user rights information.
  5. Consider adding a vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting and improve security culture.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Steelworks Academy
Description
Steelworks Dance & Performance Studios inspire and challenge students to be their best, offering dance and performance education.
Key services
Dance classes, Performance training, Timetable scheduling, News and events, Facilities access
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, WooCommerce, jQuery, Google Analytics, Google Maps API, Contact Form 7, SO GDPR plugin, WP GDPR Compliance plugin
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Use of Google reCAPTCHA on forms
  • Cookie consent banner

Analytics and tracking

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

Advertising

Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF detected.
  2. Content is focused on dance and performance education.
  3. Contact information is clearly presented and consistent.
  4. Privacy and cookie policies are present and GDPR compliant.
  5. No terms of service or explicit security policy pages found.
  6. WHOIS data is unavailable due to domain lookup error but does not indicate malicious activity.
  7. Use of modern web technologies and plugins common for WordPress sites.
  8. Google Analytics and Tag Manager are used for tracking with cookie consent.
  9. No adult or questionable content detected.
  10. Site design and navigation are professional and user-friendly.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform with WooCommerce for e-commerce capabilities, supported by jQuery and several plugins for GDPR compliance, contact forms, and analytics integration. Google Analytics and Tag Manager are used for user tracking, with cookie consent implemented. The site loads multiple CSS and JS assets including slick slider and fancybox for UI enhancements. Performance is moderate with standard modern web technologies, and mobile optimization is good. Accessibility features are basic but present. No major technical debt or deprecated libraries were detected. Hosting provider details are not explicitly available. The site could improve by optimizing security headers and enhancing 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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