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Security report for verbraucherzentrale-energieberatung.de

Energieberatung der Verbraucherzentrale · Energy · Germany

High risk. 7 critical or high findings in Network security, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

49/100

Risk levelHigh

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

The website 'verbraucherzentrale-energieberatung.de' represents the Energieberatung der Verbraucherzentrale, a consumer energy advisory service in Germany. It provides qualified, independent consulting focused on energy saving, renovation, and building. The business operates under the umbrella of the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V., a well-established consumer protection organization. The site targets German consumers seeking energy advice and related services. The business model is non-profit and service-oriented, with a medium-sized organizational footprint and a clear market position in the energy advisory sector. Technically, the website is built on WordPress 6.5.5, leveraging popular plugins such as Yoast SEO and Cookiebot for consent management. The site is HTTPS secured, uses jQuery, and integrates event management plugins. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and basic accessibility. SEO is well implemented with proper meta tags and structured data. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and uses Cookiebot for GDPR-compliant cookie consent. While some security headers are not explicitly detected, no vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were found. The site lacks a published security policy or incident response information, which could be improved. The domain registration data is consistent with the website content and business entity, indicating high legitimacy. Overall, the website is professional, trustworthy, and compliant with privacy regulations. Strategic recommendations include enhancing security headers, publishing explicit security and incident response policies, and improving accessibility features to meet higher standards.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
83/ 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

7 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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
    • Critical

      Critical Service Exposed: PostgreSQL

      Port 5432 (PostgreSQL) is publicly accessible - PostgreSQL - Database server

      What to do: Immediately restrict access to PostgreSQL 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

  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
    • 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 verbraucherzentrale-energieberatung.de

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
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  • 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
25
Email security
65
DNS health
70
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
83
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

The Energieberatung der Verbraucherzentrale operates as a consumer-focused energy advisory service in Germany, providing guidance on energy saving, building, and renovation. Its competitive advantage lies in its affiliation with the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V., lending credibility and trust. The business model is service-oriented and non-profit, targeting individual consumers and households. Revenue streams likely include government funding and service fees. The partnership ecosystem includes Cookiebot for consent management and Google for advertising and analytics. Growth indicators include a well-maintained website with updated content and integration of modern consent tools. The company maintains a clear market presence in the German energy advisory sector.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with mandatory HTTPS encryption and GDPR-compliant cookie consent via Cookiebot. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options represents an area for improvement. The lack of published security policies and incident response contacts limits transparency and readiness communication. Data protection practices align with GDPR, but incident response readiness and security culture indicators could be enhanced by publishing relevant documentation and contacts. Overall, the security posture is good but can be strengthened with additional policies and technical controls.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options to enhance protection against common web attacks.
  2. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response plan on the website to improve transparency and preparedness.
  3. Regularly update WordPress core and plugins to mitigate vulnerabilities from outdated software.
  4. Enhance website accessibility features to comply with recognized standards and improve user experience for all visitors.
  5. Maintain and audit cookie consent mechanisms to ensure ongoing GDPR compliance and user trust.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Energieberatung der Verbraucherzentrale
Description
Verbraucherzentrale Energieberatung offers qualified and independent energy consulting services focused on saving electricity and energy, renovation, and building.
Key services
Energy saving advice, Renovation and building consulting, Individualized energy consultation
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 6.5.5, Yoast SEO plugin, Cookiebot consent management, jQuery, Event Tickets plugin, Smart Logo Showcase Lite plugin
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
PHP-based CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent with opt-in/out
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of nonce in scripts

Analytics and tracking

Services
Piwik Analytics (Matomo)
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google
Tracking pixels
Cookiebot, Google Analytics (implied by Piwik cookies)
Marketing tools
Cookiebot
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website uses HTTPS and modern consent management
  2. Content is in German and targeted at German consumers
  3. No signs of phishing or malware
  4. Cookiebot used for GDPR-compliant cookie consent
  5. No explicit terms of service found
  6. Contact phone number clearly displayed
  7. No explicit security or incident response policies published
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a WordPress CMS platform version 6.5.5, utilizing plugins such as Yoast SEO for search engine optimization and Cookiebot for cookie consent management. The tech stack includes jQuery and event management plugins, indicating a moderately complex infrastructure. Performance is moderate with good mobile responsiveness and basic accessibility. The site uses structured data (JSON-LD) for SEO and organization information. Hosting provider details are not explicitly identified. Technical risks include potential outdated plugins and missing security headers. Modernization opportunities include enhancing accessibility and security headers to align with best practices.
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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