Skip to main content

Security report for houzz.de

Houzz Inc. · Real Estate · Germany

Low risk. 3 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view, Email security and 1 other check.

Security score

77/100

Risk levelLow

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

Houzz Inc. operates a leading online platform dedicated to home design, renovation, and professional services, targeting both homeowners and industry professionals. The website offers a vast collection of design ideas, professional directories, and software tools for project management and marketing. Its market position is strong, supported by extensive content and a large user base. Technically, the site employs modern web technologies including JavaScript frameworks, third-party integrations like Vimeo and Calendly, and is optimized for performance and mobile use. Security measures are robust, with HTTPS, security headers, and consent mechanisms in place, though no explicit security policy or incident response details are found. Overall, the site demonstrates high professionalism, good privacy compliance, and strong business credibility.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
73/ 100 · Medium
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

3 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 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

  2. 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 SPF record found

      SPF helps prevent email spoofing

      What to do: Add SPF record: "v=spf1 include:_spf.yourmailprovider.com ~all"

  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 houzz.de

This scan found 16 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
69
Security headers
85
Email security
63
DNS health
70
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
73
Average
77

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.de, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
224
Employees
0
Customers
224
Third parties
0
Weak passwords
6%

2 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.de.

Select it in the checkout above.

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

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

Houzz's business model centers on connecting homeowners with a wide range of home improvement professionals while providing these professionals with marketing and project management tools. The platform's extensive content library and professional network create a competitive advantage. Revenue streams likely include software subscriptions, advertising, and lead generation services. The target audience includes homeowners seeking inspiration and professionals in architecture, interior design, construction, and related fields. The company is well-established with a consistent brand and a large international presence.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, multiple security headers, and a comprehensive cookie consent mechanism aligned with GDPR requirements. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed content. However, explicit security policies or incident response contacts are not publicly available, which could be improved to enhance transparency and readiness. The presence of CSRF tokens in forms indicates secure input handling. Overall, the security posture is strong but could benefit from more visible security governance documentation.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response information to improve transparency.
  2. Regularly audit and update third-party libraries to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  3. Enhance visibility of data protection officer contact details to comply with GDPR best practices.
  4. Implement and publicize a vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file.
  5. Continue to monitor and optimize performance and accessibility to maintain high user experience standards.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Houzz Inc.
Description
Houzz offers powerful software for construction and design professionals and provides homeowners with inspiration, products, and experts to design their dream homes. It hosts a large collection of interior design and home ideas, including kitchens and bathrooms, with over 25 million photos and 100,000 idea books from top designers worldwide.
Key services
Professional directory, Project management software, Design inspiration and photo galleries, Marketing and CRM tools for professionals
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, jQuery 3.1.1, Vimeo video player, Google One Tap, Calendly integration
Frameworks
Custom Houzz UI components
Platforms
Web
Performance
fast
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • Use of HTTPS
  • Content Security Policy
  • Cookie consent mechanism
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms with CSRF tokens

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, FullStory, mParticle
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Attn.tv
Tracking pixels
Google Analytics (implied), Facebook Pixel (implied), FullStory (disabled but configured), mParticle (disabled but configured)
Marketing tools
Google One Tap, Calendly, Eloqua (marketing automation)
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 connecting homeowners with professionals
  3. Extensive use of multimedia content including photos and videos
  4. Robust privacy and cookie consent mechanisms in place
  5. Integration with third-party services like Calendly and Vimeo for enhanced user experience
  6. No signs of security issues or content blocking
  7. Professional and consistent branding throughout the site
Technical notes

Notes

The website uses a modern tech stack including JavaScript, jQuery, and React-like components, with integrations for video playback (Vimeo) and scheduling (Calendly). It is hosted on a CDN infrastructure ensuring fast content delivery. The site is mobile-optimized and includes accessibility features such as skip links and ARIA labels. SEO is well-implemented with comprehensive meta tags and hreflang attributes for internationalization. The site uses advanced client-side scripting for performance metrics and error handling. No major technical debt or outdated technologies were detected.
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 houzz.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 houzz.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.