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Security report for vrtnws.be

VRT NWS · Media · Belgium

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and Security headers.

Security score

69/100

Risk levelMedium

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

VRT NWS is a leading Belgian public news media organization providing reliable, clear, and engaging news content in text, image, and audio formats. The website serves a broad audience interested in current affairs, regional news, politics, culture, and international events. It operates under the parent company VRT and maintains a strong market position as a trusted news source in Belgium. The platform offers diverse content including liveblogs, videos, podcasts, and thematic dossiers, supported by a consistent and professional brand identity. Technically, the website is built on modern web technologies including Next.js and React, with integrations of Adobe DTM for tag management and Gemius for analytics. The site is well optimized for mobile devices, accessibility, and SEO, ensuring a fast and user-friendly experience. The infrastructure supports rich multimedia content and interactive features, reflecting a mature digital presence. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and follows best practices such as responsible disclosure policies. While explicit security headers were not detected in the provided data, the overall posture is strong with no visible vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. Privacy compliance is robust, with clear privacy and cookie policies aligned with GDPR requirements. The WHOIS data is restricted, which limits domain registration transparency but does not detract from the site's legitimacy given its official status and professional presentation. Overall, VRT NWS demonstrates a high level of digital maturity, security awareness, and business credibility, making it a reliable and authoritative news platform in its region.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
45/ 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

6 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. 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';…

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Keep watching vrtnws.be

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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  • 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
100
Security headers
15
Email security
82
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
45
Average
69

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

VRT NWS operates as an essential media entity within Belgium's public broadcasting ecosystem. Its competitive advantage lies in its trusted brand, comprehensive news coverage, and multi-format content delivery. The business model focuses on public service journalism funded through public means, supplemented by digital engagement and app distribution. The target customer segments include general news consumers, regional audiences, and thematic interest groups. Growth indicators include active social media presence and continuous content updates. The partnership ecosystem includes related VRT brands and media outlets, enhancing content reach and diversification. Strategic observations highlight the importance of maintaining trust, expanding digital services, and ensuring compliance with evolving privacy regulations.

Security posture

The security maturity of VRT NWS is solid, with enforced HTTPS and a responsible disclosure policy indicating readiness to handle security incidents. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as HSTS or X-Content-Type-Options suggests room for improvement. Compliance with GDPR is evident through privacy and cookie policies, but the lack of a security.txt file is a minor gap in vulnerability disclosure transparency. Incident response readiness appears adequate, though no direct security contact emails were found. Overall, the security culture is positive but could benefit from enhanced header configurations and formalized incident communication channels.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and enforce security headers including HSTS, X-Content-Type-Options, and Content-Security-Policy to strengthen browser security.
  2. Publish a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability reporting and improve transparency.
  3. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and libraries to mitigate risks from vulnerable dependencies.
  4. Enhance incident response by providing clear security contact channels and publishing incident response procedures.
  5. Continue to monitor and update privacy and cookie policies to maintain compliance with GDPR and related regulations.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
VRT NWS
Description
Het VRT NWS nieuws: betrouwbaar, helder en prikkelend. Het biedt je tekst, beeld en audio gebundeld in rubrieken en dossiers, met extra duiding door onze experten.
Key services
News articles, Liveblogs, Videos, Podcasts, Regional news, Thematic dossiers
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Next.js, React, Adobe DTM, Gemius, SmartOcto, Vaul Drawer UI, Sentry
Frameworks
Next.js, React
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Content Security Policy via meta tags (implied)
  • Responsible disclosure policy available

Analytics and tracking

Services
Gemius, Adobe Analytics, SmartOcto
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Gemius
Tracking pixels
Gemius
Marketing tools
Adobe DTM, SmartOcto
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional news media portal with rich content and multimedia.
  2. Strong SEO and accessibility features are implemented.
  3. Multiple official social media channels linked.
  4. No signs of malicious or suspicious content.
  5. WHOIS data is restricted, limiting domain registration transparency.
Technical notes

Notes

The website leverages a modern technology stack centered on Next.js and React, enabling server-side rendering and efficient client-side interactivity. Integration with Adobe DTM and Gemius indicates advanced tag management and analytics capabilities. The site demonstrates excellent mobile optimization and accessibility features, contributing to a positive user experience. Performance is optimized with preloading of critical assets and responsive images. Technical risks are minimal, though reliance on multiple third-party scripts necessitates ongoing security vigilance. The infrastructure appears scalable and well-maintained, supporting a high volume of dynamic news content and multimedia delivery.
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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