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Security report for vsw.de

Verband für Sicherheit in der Wirtschaft Hessen (VSW) · Government · Germany

High risk. 8 critical or high findings in Network security, Security headers and 2 other checks.

Security score

49/100

Risk levelHigh

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

The Verband für Sicherheit in der Wirtschaft Hessen (VSW) is a professional association serving as a key interface between government security agencies and the private sector in Germany, particularly in Hessen. It provides a platform for information exchange, networking, and professional development through seminars, events, and an expert pool. The organization collaborates closely with federal and state security bodies, enhancing its credibility and influence in the security domain. The website reflects a mature digital presence built on TYPO3 CMS, featuring modern web technologies and a responsive design that caters well to its professional audience. Security-wise, the site enforces HTTPS, uses GDPR-compliant cookie consent mechanisms, and integrates Google reCAPTCHA to protect forms. However, explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not published, representing an area for improvement. Overall, the site is trustworthy, well-maintained, and aligned with its business mission.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
100/ 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

8 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

  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';…

  3. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

    • High

      No DMARC record found

      DMARC provides email authentication and reporting

      What to do: Add DMARC record: "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com"

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

Keep watching vsw.de

This scan found 21 issues across 5 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
62
Security headers
25
Email security
65
DNS health
70
Network security
0
GDPR outside view
100
Average
54
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

VSW occupies an important niche as a non-profit government-related entity focused on security in the economic sector. Its business model revolves around membership services, educational seminars, and facilitating cooperation between private companies and public security authorities. The association's partnerships with agencies like BKA, BfV, and BSI, as well as regional police and chambers of commerce, strengthen its market position. The presence of a job board and expert listings indicates a comprehensive ecosystem supporting the security industry. The website's content and structure suggest a medium-sized organization with a clear focus on professional and governmental stakeholders. The active news section and event calendar demonstrate ongoing engagement and relevance in the security community.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a solid security posture with HTTPS enforced and GDPR-compliant cookie consent. The use of Matomo analytics with explicit consent requirements and Google reCAPTCHA for form protection are positive indicators. However, the absence of visible security headers and a published security policy or incident response contact reduces transparency. No vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the HTML content. The site would benefit from publishing a security.txt file and enhancing HTTP security headers to further harden its security stance. Overall, the security maturity is good but could be improved with formalized policies and additional technical controls.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a clear security policy and incident response contact information on the website.
  2. Implement and configure HTTP security headers such as Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-XSS-Protection.
  3. Create and publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Provide explicit contact details for the Data Protection Officer to enhance GDPR transparency.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and libraries to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Verband für Sicherheit in der Wirtschaft Hessen (VSW)
Description
Der VSW ist ein Verband, der als Schnittstelle zwischen Behörden und Wirtschaft in Sicherheitsfragen fungiert. Er fördert den Informations- und Erfahrungsaustausch und bietet Seminare, Veranstaltungen, einen Expertenpool sowie einen Stellenmarkt für die Sicherheitswirtschaft.
Key services
Seminare und Schulungen, Expertenpool für Sicherheitsbereiche, Stellenmarkt für Sicherheitswirtschaft, Veranstaltungen und Foren, Kooperationen mit Behörden und Verbänden
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
TYPO3 CMS, jQuery, Slick Slider, Google reCAPTCHA, Matomo Analytics
Frameworks
TYPO3 CMS
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
basic
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • GDPR cookie consent implemented
  • Google reCAPTCHA used for forms
  • Matomo analytics with consent requirement

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Matomo Analytics
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible with no blocking or WAF challenges
  2. Content is in German and targeted at security professionals and businesses in Germany
  3. Strong emphasis on security, cooperation with government agencies, and member services
  4. Use of professional CMS TYPO3 and modern web technologies
  5. Cookie consent and GDPR compliance mechanisms are implemented
  6. No exposed sensitive data or obvious security vulnerabilities detected in HTML content
  7. Active news and event updates indicate ongoing maintenance and engagement
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on TYPO3 CMS, a robust and widely used open-source content management system, indicating a professional technical foundation. It uses modern JavaScript libraries such as jQuery and Slick Slider for UI components and integrates Google reCAPTCHA for bot protection. Matomo analytics is deployed with consent mechanisms, reflecting privacy-conscious tracking. The site is mobile responsive and well-structured with proper meta tags for SEO. Performance is moderate, with room for optimization. No critical technical debt or outdated technologies were detected. Hosting details are not explicit, but the presence of custom analytics and multiple authoritative nameservers suggests a stable hosting environment. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports the business needs effectively.
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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