Terms of Service

Welcome to Hound. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Hound platform, website, and penetration testing services (collectively, the "Service") operated by Hound, a Fauna AI company ("we," "us," or "our"). By creating an account, verifying a domain, or otherwise using the Service, you ("you" or "Client") agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Service Description

Hound provides automated, AI-driven penetration testing for web applications and services. Our platform uses artificial intelligence agents to assess the security of your web applications, with deliberate and focused coverage of the OWASP Top 10 vulnerability categories in addition to general security testing.

The Service operates as a self-service platform. You verify domain ownership, initiate tests, and receive reports without the need for manual engagement with our team.

The Service does not include social engineering or physical security testing.

2. Account Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction) to use the Service.

By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you have the legal authority to authorize security testing on any domain you submit. If you are acting on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to:

• Test any domain or system you do not own or are not explicitly authorized to test
• Attempt to circumvent, disable, or interfere with the domain verification process
• Use the Service to attack, harm, or disrupt any third-party systems or services
• Use security findings for malicious purposes, extortion, or unauthorized disclosure
• Resell, redistribute, or provide access to the Service to third parties without our written consent
• Use the Service in any manner that could damage, disable, or impair the Service or interfere with other users

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access immediately if we believe you are violating these restrictions.

4. Domain Verification & Authorization

Before any testing begins, you must verify ownership of the target domain by setting a DNS TXT record that we provide. This verification confirms your authority over the domain and serves as your explicit authorization for Hound to perform security testing against it.

Once a domain is verified, the Service may test services hosted on that domain and its subdomains, provided that the TLS certificates for those services are associated with the verified domain.

You acknowledge and agree that by verifying a domain and initiating a test, you are explicitly authorizing Hound to perform automated security testing against the services hosted on that domain.

If your application is hosted on third-party infrastructure (e.g., cloud providers), you are solely responsible for ensuring that your use of the Service complies with your hosting provider's acceptable use policies and any applicable terms of service.

5. Testing Scope & Methodology

Hound performs comprehensive security testing against your verified domain and associated services. This includes testing for common web application vulnerabilities, with specific focus on the OWASP Top 10, as well as broader AI-driven security analysis.

Our platform employs multi-layered safety controls designed to conduct testing responsibly and minimize unintended impact to your systems.

All reports are reviewed before delivery to you.

6. Risks & Disclaimer

Penetration testing, by its nature, involves interacting with your systems in ways that may cause unexpected behavior, performance degradation, or service disruption. While we employ safety controls to minimize impact, you acknowledge that:

• Testing may cause temporary disruption or degradation of your services.
• Results are provided on an "as-is" basis and represent a point-in-time assessment. Hound does not guarantee that all vulnerabilities will be identified.
• AI-driven testing may produce false positives or false negatives.
• The absence of findings does not mean your application is free of vulnerabilities.

We recommend running tests against staging or non-production environments where possible.

The Service is provided on an "as available" basis. We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation of the platform and may perform maintenance or updates that temporarily affect availability.

7. Pricing & Payment

Hound may offer a free initial penetration test at our discretion. Beyond any free offering, use of the Service is subject to the fees displayed on the platform at the time of purchase.

We reserve the right to modify pricing at any time. Any changes to pricing will not affect tests that have already been purchased or initiated.

8. Data Handling & Privacy

In the course of testing, our systems may encounter or process data hosted on your domain. We handle all such data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Test logs and generated reports are stored using industry-standard encryption at rest and in transit. Data retention periods are described in our Privacy Policy.

Your data is not used to train or improve any AI models. Client data processed during testing is used solely for the purpose of delivering your results.

9. Third-Party Services

The Service utilizes third-party artificial intelligence providers to deliver security testing and analysis. Your use of the Service is subject to the terms and policies of these providers to the extent applicable. No client data is shared with third-party providers for the purpose of model training or improvement.

10. Confidentiality

We treat all test results, security reports, and data encountered during testing as confidential. We will not disclose your results to third parties except as required by law or with your written consent.

You agree not to reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to derive the underlying methods, algorithms, or safety mechanisms of the Service. The platform's testing methodology and safety architecture are proprietary and confidential.

11. Intellectual Property

You retain all rights to your applications, systems, and data. Upon delivery, you own the security reports generated for your domain.

All rights to the Hound platform, including its software, testing methodology, AI systems, safety controls, branding, and documentation, remain the exclusive property of Hound.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Hound shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of the Service.

Our total aggregate liability for any claims arising under these Terms shall not exceed the total amount you paid to Hound in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Hound, its officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your misrepresentation of ownership or authorization over a tested domain; (b) your violation of any third-party rights or agreements, including hosting provider terms; or (c) your use of the Service in violation of these Terms or applicable law.

14. Termination

You may stop using the Service and close your account at any time. We may refuse, suspend, or terminate your access to the Service at any time, for any reason or no reason, with or without notice.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. We will retain or delete your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

15. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in North Carolina, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

16. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a notice on the platform. Your continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

17. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at support@cyberhound.ai.