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Security report for houzz.ie

Houzz · Real Estate · Ireland

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

55/100

Risk levelMedium

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

Houzz.ie is a comprehensive online platform serving both construction and design professionals as well as homeowners in Ireland. It offers a wide range of services including design and build software, a vast collection of interior design ideas, and a professional directory. The platform is well-established with a consistent brand presence and localized content for multiple countries. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies, including JavaScript frameworks, video integration, and third-party services for enhanced user interaction and scheduling. Security practices are robust, with HTTPS enforcement and appropriate security headers, ensuring safe user interactions. Privacy compliance is strong, featuring clear privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms. Overall, the site demonstrates a high level of professionalism, technical maturity, and business credibility.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
10/ 100 · Critical
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

6 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

      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

  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.

    • Critical

      Unable to retrieve SSL certificate

      Could not establish secure connection to retrieve certificate information

      What to do: Check if the server is accessible and SSL/TLS is properly configured

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

Keep watching houzz.ie

This scan found 13 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

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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
0
Security headers
85
Email security
50
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
10
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

Houzz operates as a large-scale platform in the real estate and home improvement sector, targeting both professionals and homeowners. Its business model revolves around providing software tools, inspiration, and a marketplace for products and services. The company maintains a strong market position with extensive content and a broad professional network. Its global presence is supported by multiple localized domains. The platform integrates marketing and scheduling tools to facilitate user engagement and lead generation. The business shows signs of growth and strategic partnerships, leveraging technology to enhance service delivery.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, comprehensive security headers, and no visible exposure of sensitive data. It uses CSRF tokens to protect forms and employs modern libraries with no known vulnerabilities detected in the provided data. The presence of Salesforce Embedded Service for chat and Google Identity Services indicates secure integration with trusted third-party services. There are no indications of malware, phishing, or other critical security issues. Privacy policies and cookie consent mechanisms align with GDPR requirements, reflecting compliance and user data protection awareness.

Recommendations

  1. Continue regular updates and audits of third-party libraries to mitigate emerging vulnerabilities.
  2. Enhance transparency by publishing a dedicated security policy and incident response plan.
  3. Implement a public vulnerability disclosure program or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Expand accessibility features to ensure compliance with latest standards and improve user experience.
  5. Maintain and update privacy and cookie policies to reflect evolving regulations and best practices.
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. It hosts a large collection of interior design and decorating ideas, including photos, idea books, and access to architects, interior designers, and home improvement contractors.
Key services
Design and build software, Home renovation 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 (chat), Prismic CMS (inferred from prismic CDN URLs), Google Tag Manager, Various internal JS bundles
Frameworks
Custom Houzz frontend framework, 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 CSRF tokens

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics, Houzz internal analytics
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google DoubleClick
Tracking pixels
Google Analytics (inferred), Houzz internal logging pixels
Marketing tools
Salesforce Embedded Service (chat), Calendly
Transparency
good

Site quality

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

Key observations

  1. Website is fully accessible and not blocked by WAF
  2. Comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms
  3. Strong presence of professional and business information
  4. Use of modern technologies and good security practices
  5. Extensive content including images, professional profiles, and services
  6. Multiple localized versions for different countries
  7. Integration with third-party services like Calendly and Salesforce for scheduling and chat
Technical notes

Notes

Houzz.ie is built on a modern technology stack including JavaScript, jQuery, and video streaming via Vimeo. It uses Prismic CMS for content management and integrates with Google Tag Manager and Salesforce for analytics and customer engagement. The site is hosted on CDN providers ensuring fast content delivery. Performance optimizations such as lazy loading and prefetching are implemented. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and accessibility considerations. Technical debt appears minimal with current use of modern frameworks and polyfills for compatibility. Opportunities exist to further enhance performance and accessibility compliance.
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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