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Security report for theibns.org

International Bank Note Society · Non-profit · N/a

Medium risk. 4 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, SSL/TLS and 1 other check.

Security score

63/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) operates as a non-profit educational organization focused on the study and knowledge of worldwide banknotes and paper currencies. Established in 1961, it serves a global membership base of over 2,000 members across more than 90 countries. The website provides educational content, membership benefits, and publications such as a quarterly journal. The organization targets banknote collectors and numismatists, offering resources to support their interests and collections. Technically, the website is built on an outdated Joomla! 1.5 CMS platform, which poses security risks due to lack of support and updates. The site uses JavaScript libraries including MooTools and integrates Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for tracking. The design and user experience are basic, with limited mobile optimization and accessibility features. Navigation is clear, but the site lacks modern performance and SEO optimizations. From a security perspective, the site uses HTTPS but lacks visible security headers and employs an outdated CMS version, increasing vulnerability exposure. There is no cookie consent mechanism despite the use of tracking scripts, and WHOIS data for the domain is malformed or unavailable, limiting trust verification. The site includes a login form but no advanced authentication features are evident. Overall, the security posture is moderate but requires improvements to reduce risk. The overall risk assessment suggests the IBNS website is a legitimate non-profit resource with moderate technical maturity and some security weaknesses primarily due to outdated infrastructure and incomplete privacy compliance. Strategic recommendations include upgrading the CMS, implementing security headers, adding cookie consent, and improving mobile and accessibility features to enhance trust and security.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
53/ 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

4 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.

    • 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

    • 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

  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.

    • 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

  3. 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

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

Keep watching theibns.org

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.

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
62
Security headers
85
Email security
75
DNS health
80
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
53
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

IBNS holds a strong position in the niche market of banknote collecting and numismatics education. Its long history and global membership base provide competitive advantages. The business model is membership-driven with revenue from subscriptions, publications, and educational resources. The target customers are collectors and enthusiasts worldwide. Growth indicators include active journal publications and an online presence with educational content. Partnerships appear limited to content sharing and YouTube channel presence. The organization operates primarily as a non-profit with a focus on community and education rather than commercial expansion.

Security posture

The current security maturity level is moderate but hindered by the use of an outdated Joomla! 1.5 CMS, which is no longer supported and may contain unpatched vulnerabilities. The absence of security headers and cookie consent mechanisms further weakens the security posture. No incident response or security policy information is publicly available. Data protection practices are minimal, and GDPR compliance is not clearly demonstrated. The login form is basic with no visible multi-factor authentication. Overall, the site requires modernization and enhanced security controls to meet current standards.

Recommendations

  1. Upgrade the Joomla CMS to the latest supported version to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
  2. Implement standard security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and Strict-Transport-Security.
  3. Add a cookie consent banner and update privacy policies to reflect GDPR compliance.
  4. Enhance mobile responsiveness and accessibility to improve user experience and compliance.
  5. Establish and publish security policies and incident response procedures to build trust.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
International Bank Note Society
Description
International Bank Note Society; a non-profit educational organization aiming to promote, stimulate, and advance the study and knowledge of worldwide banknotes and paper currencies.
Key services
Quarterly printed journal, Membership directory, Professional assistance for collectors, Educational resources and publications
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, MooTools, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics
Frameworks
Joomla! 1.5
Performance
moderate
Mobile
basic
Accessibility
basic
SEO
basic

Security

Observed score
50/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of HTTPS (implied by URL https://)
  • Secure login form with password field

Analytics and tracking

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

Advertising

Transparency
basic

Site quality

Design
basic
User experience
basic
Content relevance
good
Navigation
good
Professionalism
basic
Trustworthiness
moderate

Key observations

  1. Website uses outdated Joomla! 1.5 CMS version which is unsupported and may pose security risks.
  2. No privacy or cookie consent banners detected despite use of Google Analytics and Tag Manager.
  3. No visible security headers detected in HTML content.
  4. Website content is focused on banknote collecting and education with no adult or questionable content.
  5. Login form present with username and password fields but no visible multi-factor authentication.
  6. WHOIS data unavailable or malformed, limiting domain trust verification.
  7. External links primarily to Google services and YouTube channel.
  8. No contact emails or phone numbers explicitly listed on main page; contact form available.
  9. Privacy policy page exists but appears basic and no explicit GDPR compliance statements found.
Technical notes

Notes

The website relies on Joomla! 1.5, an outdated CMS with known security and performance limitations. JavaScript libraries include MooTools, and Google Analytics and Tag Manager are used for tracking. The site has a basic design with limited mobile optimization and accessibility features. Performance is moderate but could be improved with modern frameworks and optimization techniques. The lack of security headers and cookie consent indicates technical debt in security and privacy compliance. Modernization opportunities include CMS upgrade, implementation of security best practices, and improved front-end responsiveness.
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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