Skip to main content

Security report for houzz.com

Houzz · Real Estate · United States

Low risk. 5 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

78/100

Risk levelLow

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

Houzz is a leading online platform serving both construction and design professionals as well as homeowners seeking inspiration and services for home improvement projects. The company offers a comprehensive suite of software tools, a vast marketplace of products, and a professional directory that positions it as a key player in the home design and remodeling industry. The website demonstrates a mature digital infrastructure with modern technologies such as React, jQuery, and integrations with third-party services like Vimeo, Calendly, and Salesforce. Security is robust with HTTPS enforcement and appropriate security headers, and privacy compliance is well addressed with clear policies and consent mechanisms. Overall, Houzz presents a professional, trustworthy, and user-friendly platform with strong market presence and technical sophistication.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of houzz.com. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
35/ 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.

    • 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

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

    • 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

    • High

      Third-party services without privacy policy

      Detected services: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Ads

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

  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

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

Keep watching houzz.com

This scan found 14 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. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

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
69
Security headers
85
Email security
95
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
35
Average
78

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 houzz.com, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
70,469
Employees
55
Customers
70,288
Third parties
126
Weak passwords
27%

Latest record dated 2026-05-28 · 14 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 houzz.com.

Select it in the checkout above.

Masked preview

  • –houzz.com2026-05-28
  • –houzz.com2026-05-27
  • –www.houzz.com2026-05-16
  • –houzz.com2026-05-09
  • –houzz.com2026-04-25

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

Houzz operates in the Real Estate sector, focusing on home design, remodeling, and professional services. Its business model combines software-as-a-service for professionals with a consumer-facing marketplace and content platform. The company targets both professionals (architects, designers, contractors) and homeowners, offering tools and services tailored to each segment. The presence of multiple international domains and localized content indicates a global market reach. The platform's extensive professional directory and product listings suggest diversified revenue streams including subscriptions, advertising, and sales commissions. Strategic partnerships with scheduling and CRM providers enhance its service offerings. The company maintains a consistent brand and high-quality content, supporting its competitive advantage in the home improvement market.

Security posture

The website employs strong security measures including HTTPS with excellent SSL configuration and multiple security headers. There is no evidence of exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries in the provided content. The use of security best practices such as Content Security Policy and error handling is observed. However, explicit security policy and incident response pages are not found, which could be improved to enhance transparency and readiness. Overall, the security posture is strong, minimizing risks related to data breaches and unauthorized access.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and user responsibilities.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact information to facilitate reporting and handling of security issues.
  3. Regularly review and update third-party scripts and dependencies to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  4. Enhance transparency on data retention and privacy practices to strengthen user trust.
  5. Implement continuous security monitoring and penetration testing to proactively identify and address risks.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Houzz
Description
Houzz provides powerful software for construction and design professionals and offers homeowners inspiration, products, and professionals to design their dream home.
Key services
Design and construction software, Home design inspiration, Professional directory, Product marketplace
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, jQuery 3.1.1, Vimeo video player, Google Identity Services, Salesforce Embedded Service (Einstein Chatbot), Prismic CMS (image CDN), Cloudfront CDN, Google Tag Manager, Calendly integration
Frameworks
React (implied by bundle.js and modern JS), Prismic CMS
Platforms
Web
Performance
fast
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of CSP and error handling

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (implied), Facebook Analytics (implied), Salesforce Analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
attn.tv
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, Salesforce Embedded Service
Marketing tools
Google Analytics (implied), Calendly, Salesforce Einstein Chatbot
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is a comprehensive platform for home design and professional services.
  2. Strong focus on professional users and homeowners.
  3. Extensive use of modern web technologies and integrations.
  4. Good privacy and cookie policy implementation with consent mechanisms.
  5. No critical security issues detected.
  6. Active use of marketing and analytics tools.
  7. Multiple international versions and localized content.
  8. Robust professional directory and product marketplace.
Technical notes

Notes

Houzz's technical infrastructure is modern and robust, leveraging React-based front-end bundles, jQuery, and various third-party integrations for enhanced functionality. The site uses a CDN (Amazon Cloudfront) for efficient content delivery and employs Google Tag Manager for analytics and marketing. Performance metrics indicate fast loading times, and the site is optimized for mobile devices with responsive design. Accessibility features are present, improving usability for diverse users. The use of Prismic CMS for content management supports dynamic and localized content delivery. Overall, the technical implementation supports a high-quality user experience and scalable operations.
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. 87/100Low19 findingsView report
Reviews of this site

Share your experience with houzz.com. 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 houzz.com.

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.