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Security report for vhs-bw.de

Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg e.V. · Education · Germany

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

Security score

63/100

Risk levelMedium

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

The Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg e.V. is a well-established non-profit association representing 159 adult education centers across Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It serves as a professional and advocacy body supporting public adult education institutions with quality certification, training, and project coordination. The website reflects a mature digital presence built on WordPress with modern SEO and accessibility features, providing comprehensive information and resources to its target audience of adult learners and educators. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and cookie consent mechanisms, though some security headers and policies could be improved. Overall, the site is trustworthy, professional, and aligned with the organization's mission.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
88/ 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

3 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. 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 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';…

  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 vhs-bw.de

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.

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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
77
Security headers
55
Email security
70
DNS health
70
Network security
20
GDPR outside view
88
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

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 vhs-bw.de, from OffSeq Breach.

No leaked records found

Breach holds no records for vhs-bw.de right now. New leaks arrive continuously, so monitoring on Breach alerts you if that changes.

Monitor on Breach (opens in a new tab)

Technical appendix

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

Business context

Business profile

The organization holds a leading position in adult education within the region, offering a broad range of services including quality management, training, and project initiatives. Its business model is non-commercial, focusing on public service and education. The website supports this with clear navigation, multilingual options, and integration with partner platforms like onlinevhs@bw. The association's market presence is reinforced by certifications and active communication channels. Growth indicators include digital transformation projects and extensive regional outreach.

Security posture

The website employs HTTPS with a good SSL configuration and uses cookie consent management via Borlabs Cookie. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. However, the absence of security headers and a public security policy or incident response contact reduces the overall security maturity. There is no visible vulnerability disclosure or security.txt file. The site uses well-known WordPress plugins and themes, which should be regularly audited to mitigate risks. Overall, the security posture is good but could be enhanced with additional best practices.

Recommendations

  1. Implement HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
  2. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information on the website.
  3. Add a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting.
  4. Regularly update and audit WordPress plugins and themes to avoid vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance monitoring and logging to detect and respond to security incidents promptly.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.
Description
Der Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg ist der Fach- und Interessenverband der 159 Volkshochschulen des Landes mit ihren knapp 630 Außenstellen. Ziel ist die Unterstützung der Volkshochschulen als führende Institution der öffentlich verantworteten Weiterbildung.
Key services
Fach- und Interessenvertretung der Volkshochschulen, Qualitätsmanagement und Zertifizierung, Organisation von Fortbildungen, Projektarbeit und Bildungsangebote, Bereitstellung von Online-Bildungsplattformen (onlinevhs@bw)
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 6.8.1, PHP (implied), jQuery, Bootstrap 3.3.7, Font Awesome, Yoast SEO plugin, Borlabs Cookie plugin, Contact Form 7 plugin, Enfold theme with child theme
Frameworks
WordPress CMS, Bootstrap CSS framework
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Borlabs Cookie for consent management
  • No exposed sensitive data detected
  • No vulnerable libraries detected in scripts

Analytics and tracking

Services
WP Statistics
Tracking level
minimal
Privacy practices
basic

Advertising

Marketing tools
Yoast SEO, WP Statistics
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional, well-structured portal for the Volkshochschulverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.
  2. Content is primarily in German with English language option available.
  3. Uses modern WordPress infrastructure with SEO and accessibility plugins.
  4. No signs of malicious content or security issues detected.
  5. Contact information is clearly provided with multiple channels.
  6. No explicit privacy policy or terms of service pages found in the provided content.
  7. Cookie consent is managed via Borlabs Cookie plugin.
  8. No visible security.txt or vulnerability disclosure page.
  9. Social media presence includes Facebook.
  10. No advertising or tracking beyond basic analytics detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress 6.8.1 using the Enfold theme and child theme, with Bootstrap 3.3.7 and Font Awesome for styling and icons. It uses jQuery and several plugins including Yoast SEO for search optimization, Contact Form 7 for forms, and Borlabs Cookie for consent management. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, with structured data implemented via JSON-LD. Performance is moderate, with potential improvements in caching and asset optimization. Hosting details are not explicit but DNS uses ns1.imos.net and ns2.imos.net, indicating professional hosting. The technical stack is modern but could benefit from updated frameworks and enhanced security configurations.
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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