Skip to main content

Security report for zum.de

Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e.V. · Education · Germany

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

Security score

55/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e.V. (ZUM) is a German non-profit organization dedicated to promoting digital education and open teaching materials since 1997. The website serves as a portal offering various educational platforms and tools, targeting educators, students, and learners interested in digital and open educational resources. The organization operates on a volunteer basis and is funded through donations, emphasizing free and accessible teaching content. Technically, the website is built on WordPress with modern plugins and libraries, including interactive H5P content and privacy-focused Matomo analytics. The site is well-structured, mobile-optimized, and provides clear navigation and relevant content. Security posture is good with HTTPS enforced and cookie consent mechanisms in place, though some security headers could be improved. No critical vulnerabilities or suspicious activities were detected. Overall, the site reflects a mature, trustworthy educational platform with strong compliance to GDPR and privacy standards.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 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

5 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 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';…

  2. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Consent Banner found

      GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

      What to do: Implement a cookie consent banner that appears on first visit

  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 zum.de

This scan found 27 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

€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

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. See sample alerts.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

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
15
Email security
70
DNS health
65
Network security
40
GDPR outside view
80
Average
55

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

ZUM holds a solid position in the German educational non-profit sector, offering a suite of digital tools and platforms for teaching and learning. Its business model is donation-based and volunteer-driven, focusing on open educational resources. The organization targets educators and learners, providing specialized portals for different educational needs such as primary school and German language learning. The website's integration with social media and educational ad networks supports outreach and funding. The lack of commercial advertising and emphasis on community engagement and transparency strengthens its credibility. The platform's longevity and consistent branding indicate stable operations and a trusted presence in the education technology space.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a good security posture with HTTPS enabled and use of privacy-respecting analytics (Matomo). Cookie consent is managed via a reputable GDPR plugin (Complianz). However, explicit security headers like Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options are not clearly present and should be implemented to enhance protection against common web attacks. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the provided content. Incident response and security policy pages are not found, which could be improved to demonstrate security maturity. Overall, the site is secure for its purpose but could benefit from additional hardening and transparency regarding security practices.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
  2. Publish a security policy and incident response contact information to improve transparency and readiness.
  3. Regularly audit and update WordPress core, themes, and plugins to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance contact information by adding verified company emails and phone numbers for better user trust.
  5. Consider adding a security.txt file to facilitate vulnerability disclosures and improve security culture.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e.V.
Description
Die Zentrale für Unterrichtsmedien im Internet e.V. (ZUM) fördert die Digitalisierung von Schule und Lehrinhalten seit 1997. Sie bietet offene, nicht-kommerzielle Plattformen für Unterrichtsmaterialien, interaktive Inhalte, Werkzeuge für den Unterricht, Wiki-Workspaces für Schülerprojekte und Lernplattformen für Deutsch als Fremdsprache.
Key services
ZUM-Unterrichten (Unterrichtsmaterialien), ZUM-Apps (Online-Speicher für interaktive Inhalte), ZUM-Tools (Werkzeuge für Unterricht), ZUM-Projekte (Wiki-Workspace für Schülerprojekte), ZUM-Grundschule (Angebote für GrundschülerInnen), ZUM-Deutsch Lernen (Lernplattform für DaF/DaZ)
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress 6.8.3, PHP, jQuery 3.7.1, Flatpickr, Select2, Matomo Analytics, H5P interactive content
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
80/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of Matomo for privacy-respecting analytics
  • Cookie consent management via Complianz plugin

Analytics and tracking

Services
Matomo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
AdSpirit
Tracking pixels
Matomo
Marketing tools
Complianz GDPR Cookie Consent
Transparency
basic

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a well-established non-profit educational platform.
  2. Content is primarily in German and targeted at educators and learners.
  3. Use of modern web technologies and privacy-respecting analytics.
  4. Cookie consent and privacy policies are clearly presented and GDPR compliant.
  5. No signs of phishing, malware, or suspicious activity.
  6. Advertising is present but limited to relevant educational ad networks.
  7. No exposed sensitive data or security misconfigurations detected.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is powered by WordPress 6.8.3, utilizing modern JavaScript libraries such as jQuery, Flatpickr, and Select2. It integrates interactive H5P content and uses Matomo for analytics, reflecting a privacy-conscious approach. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and accessibility features. Hosting details are not explicit but DNS uses reputable German nameservers. Performance is moderate, with no major issues detected. The site uses a cookie consent plugin compliant with GDPR. Technical debt appears low, but security header implementation and explicit incident response mechanisms could be improved to reduce risk.
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

Reviews of this site

Share your experience with zum.de. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review zum.de.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.