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Security report for vu.nl

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Education · Netherlands

Medium risk. 5 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Security headers and 1 other check.

Security score

73/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a well-established Dutch university founded in 1989, offering a broad range of educational programs including bachelor, master, research, and professional development courses. The website reflects a mature digital presence with professional design, clear navigation, and multilingual support. The institution targets students, researchers, professionals, and alumni, positioning itself as an inclusive and comprehensive educational provider in the Netherlands. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies including Web Components and Google Tag Manager, ensuring good performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is strong with HTTPS and DNSSEC enabled, though explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not prominently published. Privacy compliance is well addressed with a comprehensive cookie policy and consent mechanism aligned with GDPR requirements. Overall, the website demonstrates high professionalism and trustworthiness, suitable for its educational mission.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
40/ 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

5 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 Privacy Policy found

      GDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy

      What to do: Add a comprehensive privacy policy page and link to it prominently

    • High

      Third-party services without privacy policy

      Detected services: Google Analytics, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube

      What to do: Document all third-party data sharing in your privacy policy

  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 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. 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 vu.nl

This scan found 19 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.

Daily monitoring

Recommended

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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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Full report

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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
60
Email security
93
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
40
Average
73

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 vu.nl, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
4,637
Employees
44
Customers
3,638
Third parties
955
Weak passwords
9%

Latest record dated 2026-06-15 · 103 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 vu.nl.

Select it in the checkout above.

Masked preview

  • –few.vu.nl2026-06-15
  • –infinity.few.vu.nl2026-06-04
  • –infinity.few.vu.nl2026-06-04
  • –stsfed.login.vu.nl2026-05-26
  • –stsfed.login.vu.nl2026-05-24

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

Open in Breach(opens in a new tab)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 university operates in the education sector, serving a large audience including prospective and current students, researchers, and professionals. Its business model is focused on delivering academic programs and research initiatives, supported by community engagement and alumni relations. The website indicates active event management and news dissemination, reflecting a dynamic institution. Partnerships are implied through related domains such as the careers site. The institution benefits from a long domain history and consistent branding, reinforcing its market position in Dutch higher education.

Security posture

The website exhibits a solid security foundation with HTTPS enforced and DNSSEC enabled, reducing risks of interception and DNS spoofing. Use of Google Tag Manager is controlled and no vulnerable libraries or exposed sensitive data were detected in the HTML. However, the absence of published security policies, incident response procedures, or vulnerability disclosure mechanisms suggests room for improvement in transparency and readiness. No contact channels for security incidents were found, which could hinder timely reporting and response. Overall, the security posture is good but could be enhanced by formalizing and publishing security governance documents.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Implement and publicize an incident response plan with clear contact channels for security issues.
  3. Add a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to facilitate responsible reporting.
  4. Enhance contact information availability, including official emails and phone numbers for support and security.
  5. Regularly review and update third-party scripts and tracking tools to minimize privacy and security risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Description
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, de brede inclusieve universiteit waar iedereen welkom is
Key services
Bacheloropleidingen, Masteropleidingen, Research, Professional education, Summer school, Alumni services
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, Google Tag Manager, Web Components, CSS3, HTML5
Frameworks
Foundation (implied by foundation-mq meta tag)
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • DNSSEC enabled
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • No visible vulnerable libraries

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and well-structured
  2. Content is primarily in Dutch with English alternate available
  3. Strong focus on education, research, and community engagement
  4. Cookie consent mechanism is implemented and GDPR compliant
  5. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found in the provided HTML snippet
  6. No explicit security or incident response policies published on main pages
  7. Use of Google Tag Manager for analytics and event tracking
  8. No signs of suspicious or malicious content
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses modern web standards including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript modules with Web Components for header and footer. Google Tag Manager is integrated for analytics and event tracking, indicating a data-driven approach to user engagement. The site is mobile-optimized and accessible, with responsive design and clear navigation menus. Hosting and domain registration are managed by SURF B.V., a reputable Dutch registrar for educational institutions. Performance is moderate, with potential for optimization in asset loading and caching. No CMS was explicitly identified, suggesting a custom or proprietary platform. Overall, the technical infrastructure supports a robust and user-friendly experience aligned with institutional needs.
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

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 73/100Medium26 findingsView report
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