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Security report for surf.nl

SURF · Education · Netherlands

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in SSL/TLS, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

63/100

Risk levelMedium

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

SURF is a Dutch ICT cooperative serving over 100 education and research institutions in the Netherlands. The organization focuses on enabling digital transformation in education and research through a broad portfolio of ICT services including identity and access management, network connectivity, security, cloud computing, and data management. The website reflects a mature and professional digital presence with comprehensive content tailored to its target audience of educational and research institutions. Technically, the site is built on Drupal 10 and integrates modern analytics and optimization tools such as Piwik PRO and Visual Website Optimizer, indicating a commitment to data-driven improvements and user experience. Security posture is solid with HTTPS enforced and no visible vulnerabilities, though explicit security policies and incident response information are not published on the site. Privacy compliance is partial, lacking visible privacy and cookie policies or consent mechanisms in the analyzed content. Overall, SURF demonstrates a strong market position as a trusted ICT cooperative in the Dutch education sector with a professional and accessible web presence.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
73/ 100 · Medium
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

3 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. 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

  3. 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 surf.nl

This scan found 15 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

€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
65
Email security
67
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
73
Average
63

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

SURF operates as an essential cooperative entity in the education sector, providing critical ICT infrastructure and services to a large network of Dutch educational and research institutions. Its business model centers on collaboration and shared services, enhancing digital capabilities across the sector. The organization offers a wide range of services from identity management to high-performance computing, positioning itself as a comprehensive ICT partner. The website content and structure support this positioning with detailed service descriptions and thematic areas. The presence of advanced analytics and optimization tools suggests a focus on continuous improvement and user engagement. The lack of explicit contact details and privacy documentation on the homepage may indicate these are located deeper in the site or managed via member portals. SURF's cooperative nature and sector focus imply stable revenue streams and strong partnerships within the Dutch education ecosystem.

Security posture

The website enforces HTTPS and uses modern security-related services such as SURFsoc and SURFcert, indicating a mature security environment. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. However, the absence of explicit security policies, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms reduces transparency and may impact trust from security-conscious stakeholders. The use of third-party analytics and optimization tools introduces moderate tracking but appears managed responsibly. Security headers were not explicitly detected in the provided content, suggesting room for improvement in HTTP header configurations. Overall, the security posture is good but could be enhanced by publishing formal security policies and incident response procedures.

Recommendations

  1. Publish clear and accessible privacy and cookie policies with GDPR compliance details.
  2. Implement and display a cookie consent mechanism to comply with privacy regulations.
  3. Add a dedicated security policy page outlining frameworks, certifications, and incident response processes.
  4. Provide contact information specifically for security incidents and vulnerability reporting, including a security.txt file.
  5. Enhance HTTP security headers such as Content Security Policy (CSP), Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), and X-Frame-Options.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
SURF
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
SURF
Description
Meer dan 100 onderwijs- en onderzoeksinstellingen in Nederland werken in de coöperatie SURF samen om de kansen van digitalisering ten volle benutten. Met als doel: beter en flexibeler onderwijs en onderzoek.
Key services
Identiteits- en toegangsbeheer, Inkoop en distributie, Beveiliging, Netwerkconnectiviteit, Wendbaar onderwijs, Opslag en datamanagement, Publiceren, Rekenen
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Drupal 10, JavaScript, Piwik PRO analytics, Visual Website Optimizer (VWO)
Frameworks
Drupal
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No visible exposed sensitive data
  • Use of security-focused services like SURFsoc and SURFcert
  • Use of identity and access management services

Analytics and tracking

Services
Piwik PRO, Visual Website Optimizer (VWO)
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Piwik PRO, Visual Website Optimizer (VWO)
Marketing tools
VWO
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and well-structured.
  2. Content is comprehensive and focused on ICT services for education and research.
  3. No explicit privacy or cookie policies found on the homepage HTML content.
  4. No visible contact emails or phone numbers in the provided HTML content.
  5. Use of modern analytics and A/B testing tools (Piwik PRO, VWO).
  6. No security.txt or vulnerability disclosure information found.
  7. Accessibility features are present including accessibility preferences form.
  8. No signs of adult or questionable content.
  9. No WAF or blocking mechanisms detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on Drupal 10, a modern and widely supported CMS, ensuring a solid technical foundation. Integration with Piwik PRO and Visual Website Optimizer indicates advanced analytics and user experience optimization capabilities. The site uses responsive design and accessibility features, including an accessibility preferences form, supporting a broad user base. Performance is moderate, with no major issues detected in the HTML content. The technical stack is modern and appropriate for the organization's needs, though improvements in security headers and explicit privacy mechanisms would enhance the overall technical maturity.
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. 85/100Low17 findingsView report
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