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Security report for vgsd.de

Verband der Gründer und Selbstständigen Deutschland e.V. · Non-profit · Germany

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

71/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Verband der Gründer und Selbstständigen Deutschland e.V. (VGSD) is a non-profit organization dedicated to representing the interests of founders, self-employed individuals, and small businesses in Germany. The website serves as a comprehensive platform offering advocacy, community engagement, educational content, events, and podcasts to support its target audience. The VGSD positions itself as a key lobby group fighting for fair regulations and better conditions for its members. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern JavaScript frameworks like Alpine.js and integrates multiple analytics and tracking tools with a strong emphasis on user consent and privacy compliance. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS, anonymizes IPs in analytics, and uses consent-based script loading, though it lacks explicit security policy documentation and a vulnerability disclosure mechanism. Overall, the site is professional, trustworthy, and well-optimized for performance and accessibility.

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

3 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. 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 vgsd.de

This scan found 23 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
75
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
43
Average
71

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

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention vgsd.de, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
146
Employees
0
Customers
146
Third parties
0
Weak passwords
5%

2 subdomains affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for vgsd.de.

Select it in the checkout above.

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

VGSD operates in the non-profit sector focusing on advocacy for self-employed persons and founders. Its business model revolves around membership, events, and educational offerings. The organization maintains a strong media presence and partnerships with research institutes like ifo and Jimdo, enhancing its credibility and influence. The website reflects a mature digital presence with clear navigation, active content updates, and community features. The target market includes German-speaking self-employed professionals and small enterprises, with a medium-sized organizational footprint. VGSD's competitive advantage lies in its focused advocacy, comprehensive member services, and data-driven insights through collaborations with economic research bodies.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a good security posture with enforced HTTPS, IP anonymization in Google Analytics, and consent-based activation of tracking scripts. Login forms include validation and error handling, reducing risk of injection or credential exposure. However, the absence of explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy and lack of published security or incident response policies represent areas for improvement. No vulnerabilities or suspicious domains were detected in the content. The organization should consider publishing a security.txt file and formal security policies to enhance transparency and readiness.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce a Content-Security-Policy header to mitigate XSS and related attacks.
  2. Publish a security policy and incident response page to inform users and stakeholders.
  3. Add a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability disclosure.
  4. Regularly audit third-party scripts and dependencies for vulnerabilities and update accordingly.
  5. Enhance HTTP security headers such as X-Frame-Options and Referrer-Policy for improved protection.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Verband der Gründer und Selbstständigen Deutschland e.V.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Verband der Gründer und Selbstständigen Deutschland e.V.
Description
Wir geben Gründern und Selbstständigen eine Stimme. Die Serie gründer- und kleinunternehmerfeindlicher Gesetze und Regelungen reißt nicht ab, noch immer werden Entscheidungen zu oft über uns statt mit uns getroffen. Wir lassen das nicht länger zu und kämpfen erfolgreich für unsere berechtigten Anliegen.
Key services
Advocacy and lobbying, Information and education, Events and expert talks, Community and networking, Podcasts and media presence
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, Google Analytics (GA4), Facebook Pixel, Hotjar (deferred), Plausible Analytics, Alpine.js (x-data directives), Custom CSS and JS assets
Frameworks
Alpine.js
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • IP anonymization in Google Analytics
  • Consent-based loading of analytics and tracking scripts
  • Login forms with validation and error handling

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (GA4), Plausible Analytics, Hotjar
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Ads, Facebook Ads
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, Plausible Analytics
Marketing tools
Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, Plausible Analytics
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with rich content and no blocking mechanisms.
  2. Strong focus on advocacy for self-employed and founders in Germany.
  3. Comprehensive cookie consent and privacy mechanisms implemented.
  4. Multiple event and community engagement features present.
  5. Use of modern analytics and tracking with user consent.
  6. No signs of suspicious or malicious content or domains.
  7. Good security posture with HTTPS and consent-based tracking.
  8. No explicit security policy or incident response information found.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress with custom CSS and JavaScript assets, leveraging Alpine.js for reactive UI components. It integrates Google Analytics (GA4), Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, and Plausible Analytics with user consent mechanisms. The site is mobile-optimized, accessible, and SEO-friendly with proper meta tags and structured data (JSON-LD). Hosting is managed via DomainControl nameservers, indicating professional domain management. Performance is moderate with deferred script loading and image optimizations. The technical stack is modern and well-maintained, though there is room for improvement in security header implementation and formal documentation of security 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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