From Zero to CVE: The Bug Bounty Workflow That Turns Recon Into Revenue + Video

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Introduction:

Bug bounty hunting is no longer a game of running random tools and hoping for a hit. It is a structured discipline that separates serious researchers from casual scanners. The most successful hunters follow a repeatable workflow: define the scope, conduct deep reconnaissance, discover attack surfaces, analyze findings, perform manual testing, and finally submit a professional report. This methodology, championed by hunters like Deepak Saini, transforms scattered efforts into a systematic vulnerability discovery engine.

Learning Objectives:

  • Master a six-phase bug bounty workflow that replaces chaotic tool execution with strategic methodology
  • Learn essential Linux and Windows commands for reconnaissance, discovery, and exploitation
  • Understand API security testing, cloud hardening, and manual vulnerability validation techniques

1. Scope Review and Target Definition

Before any tool touches a target, you must understand what is in scope and what is off-limits. Unauthorized testing is illegal and unethical.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Read the bug bounty program’s policy carefully. Note all in-scope domains, subdomains, and IP ranges.
  2. Identify out-of-scope assets to avoid wasting time or violating rules.
  3. Document the technologies used by the target (use Wappalyzer browser extension).
  4. Create a dedicated directory for the target: `mkdir -p ~/bugbounty/target.com/{recon,discovery,manual,reports}`

Linux Command:

 Create a structured workspace for each target
target="example.com"
mkdir -p ~/bugbounty/$target/{recon,discovery,manual,reports,wordlists}
cd ~/bugbounty/$target

2. Reconnaissance – Subdomain Enumeration and Asset Discovery

Reconnaissance is the foundation of every successful bug hunt. This phase identifies all assets belonging to the target, including subdomains, IP addresses, and technologies.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Passive Enumeration: Use `subfinder` and `assetfinder` to gather subdomains without touching the target.

2. Active Enumeration: Use `amass` for deeper enumeration.

  1. Certificate Transparency Logs: Query `crt.sh` for historical subdomain records.
  2. Combine and Deduplicate: Merge all results and remove duplicates.

Linux Commands:

 Install essential recon tools (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y amass nmap golang git

Install subfinder (Go-based)
go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/subfinder/v2/cmd/subfinder@latest

Passive subdomain enumeration
subfinder -d example.com -silent > recon/subdomains_passive.txt

Active enumeration with amass
amass enum -passive -d example.com -o recon/subdomains_amass.txt

Query certificate transparency logs
curl -s "https://crt.sh/?q=%.example.com&output=json" | jq -r '.[].name_value' | sed 's/\.//g' | sort -u > recon/subdomains_crt.txt

Merge and sort unique subdomains
cat recon/subdomains_.txt | sort -u > recon/all_subdomains.txt

Windows Command (PowerShell):

 Using Invoke-WebRequest for crt.sh
$domain = "example.com"
$url = "https://crt.sh/?q=%.$domain&output=json"
$response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url
$response.Content | ConvertFrom-Json | ForEach-Object { $_.name_value } | Sort-Object -Unique
  1. Discovery – Probing Live Assets and Endpoint Extraction

Not all subdomains are active. This phase filters live hosts and extracts URLs, endpoints, and JavaScript files that may contain hidden attack surfaces.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Probe for Live Hosts: Use `httpx` to check which subdomains are responsive.
  2. Screenshot Live Hosts: Use `EyeWitness` for visual reconnaissance.
  3. Extract URLs: Use `gau` (GetAllUrls) to fetch historical URLs from various sources.
  4. JavaScript Recon: Extract JavaScript files and search for hidden subdomains and endpoints.

Linux Commands:

 Install httpx and gau
go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/httpx/cmd/httpx@latest
go install -v github.com/lc/gau/v2/cmd/gau@latest

Check alive subdomains
cat recon/all_subdomains.txt | httpx -silent -o discovery/alive_subdomains.txt

Screenshot live hosts (install EyeWitness first)
python3 /opt/EyeWitness/EyeWitness.py -f discovery/alive_subdomains.txt --web

Extract all URLs from a domain
echo "example.com" | gau | grep -E ".js$" > discovery/js_urls.txt

JavaScript subdomain extraction trick (Deepak Saini's technique)
cat discovery/js_urls.txt | xargs -I{} curl -s {} | grep -Eo "[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+.example.com" | sort -u > discovery/js_subdomains.txt

Extract API endpoints from JavaScript
cat discovery/js_urls.txt | xargs -I{} curl -s {} | grep -Eo '"/api/[^"]"' | sort -u > discovery/api_endpoints.txt

Windows Command (PowerShell with curl):

 Download JavaScript files and extract subdomains
Get-Content js_urls.txt | ForEach-Object {
$js = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $_ -UseBasicParsing
$js.Content | Select-String -Pattern '[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+.example.com' -AllMatches | ForEach-Object { $_.Matches.Value }
} | Sort-Object -Unique

4. Analysis – Vulnerability Scanning and Parameter Discovery

With a list of live hosts and endpoints, the next phase involves automated scanning and parameter discovery to identify potential vulnerability entry points.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Port Scanning: Use `nmap` to identify open ports and services.
  2. Directory and File Brute-Forcing: Use `ffuf` or `dirb` to discover hidden directories.
  3. Parameter Discovery: Use `ParamSpider` or `ffuf` with wordlists to find hidden parameters.
  4. Technology Fingerprinting: Use `whatweb` or Wappalyzer to identify CMS, frameworks, and versions.

Linux Commands:

 Install nmap, ffuf, and ParamSpider
sudo apt install -y nmap ffuf
git clone https://github.com/devanshbatham/ParamSpider

Nmap fast port scan
nmap -sV -T4 -p- -iL discovery/alive_subdomains.txt -oA analysis/nmap_scan

Directory brute-force with ffuf
ffuf -u https://example.com/FUZZ -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt -o analysis/ffuf_results.json

Parameter discovery with ParamSpider
cd ParamSpider
python3 paramspider.py -d example.com --level high -o analysis/parameters.txt

Filter for interesting parameters
cat analysis/parameters.txt | grep -E "(id=|user=|file=|path=|redirect=|url=|page=)" > analysis/interesting_params.txt

Nmap Output Analysis:

 Extract open ports and services
grep "open" analysis/nmap_scan.nmap | awk '{print $1, $3, $4}' | sort -u

5. Manual Testing – Exploiting Vulnerabilities

Automation finds surface-level issues. Manual testing uncovers business logic flaws, authorization bypasses, and complex chained exploits that tools miss.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Burp Suite Configuration: Set up Burp Suite as an intercepting proxy.
  2. IDOR Testing: Manipulate parameters like `id=123` to `id=124` and check for unauthorized access.
  3. SQL Injection: Inject payloads like `’ OR 1=1–` into input fields.

4. XSS Testing: Inject `` into reflection points.

  1. HTTP Request Smuggling: Test for CL.TE and TE.CL vulnerabilities.

Linux Commands for Manual Testing:

 Use curl to test IDOR
curl -s "https://example.com/api/user/124" -H "Cookie: session=xxx"

Test for SQL injection with time-based payload
curl -s "https://example.com/login?user=admin' AND SLEEP(5)--"

Test for NoSQL injection in API (JSON payload)
curl -X POST https://example.com/api/login -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"user":"admin","password":{"$ne":""}}'

Test for Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
curl -s "https://example.com/proxy?url=http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/"

Windows Command (PowerShell with Invoke-RestMethod):

 Test IDOR with PowerShell
$headers = @{ "Cookie" = "session=xxx" }
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://example.com/api/user/124" -Headers $headers

Test NoSQL injection
$body = @{ user = "admin"; password = @{ '$ne' = "" } } | ConvertTo-Json
Invoke-RestMethod -Method POST -Uri "https://example.com/api/login" -Body $body -ContentType "application/json"

6. Windows Privilege Escalation and Post-Exploitation

For Windows-based targets or internal assessments, understanding privilege escalation vectors is critical.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Check Current Privileges: Use `whoami /priv` to list user privileges.
  2. Identify Misconfigurations: Look for SeImpersonatePrivilege, SeDebugPrivilege, or SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege.
  3. Exploit Weak Privileges: Use tools like `JuicyPotato` or `PrintSpoofer` for privilege escalation.
  4. Enumerate System Information: Use `systeminfo` to identify missing patches.

Windows Commands:

 List current user privileges
whoami /priv

Display system information and patch levels
systeminfo | findstr /i "hotfix"

List all users and groups
net user
net localgroup administrators

Check for Unquoted Service Paths
wmic service get name,displayname,pathname,startmode | findstr /i "auto" | findstr /i /v "c:\windows\"

PowerShell: Get all services with unquoted paths
Get-WmiObject Win32_Service | Where-Object { $<em>.PathName -1otlike '"' -and $</em>.PathName -like ' ' } | Select-Object Name, PathName

7. Cloud Hardening and API Security

Modern bug bounty programs increasingly target cloud infrastructure and APIs. Misconfigurations in AWS, Azure, or GCP are lucrative findings.

Step-by-Step Guide (AWS):

  1. Audit IAM Password Policy: Ensure `MinimumPasswordLength` is 12 or higher.
  2. Check S3 Bucket Permissions: Test for public read/write access.
  3. Review IAM Roles: Identify over-privileged roles and policies.
  4. API Security Testing: Test for rate limiting, authentication bypass, and injection flaws.

AWS CLI Commands:

 Install AWS CLI
sudo apt install -y awscli

Check password policy
aws iam get-account-password-policy

List all S3 buckets
aws s3 ls

Check bucket permissions (manual)
aws s3api get-bucket-acl --bucket example-bucket

Test for public access
aws s3api get-bucket-policy-status --bucket example-bucket

API Security Testing with curl:

 Test for rate limiting (send multiple requests)
for i in {1..100}; do curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" https://api.example.com/endpoint; done | sort | uniq -c

Test for JWT manipulation (try empty or malformed tokens)
curl -s https://api.example.com/admin -H "Authorization: Bearer "

Test for GraphQL introspection
curl -X POST https://api.example.com/graphql -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"query":"query { __schema { types { name } } }"}'

What Undercode Say:

  • Key Takeaway 1: Tools are data collectors; methodology finds vulnerabilities. Running random tools without a structured workflow is noise, not signal. The six-phase approach—Scope → Recon → Discovery → Analysis → Manual Testing → Report—transforms chaos into repeatable success.
  • Key Takeaway 2: JavaScript files are an underrated goldmine. The simple grep-based extraction technique can reveal internal hosts, staging environments, and API endpoints that traditional subdomain enumeration misses. This single trick has uncovered critical bugs for countless hunters.

Analysis: Bug bounty hunting demands a hybrid skillset: technical proficiency with command-line tools, creative thinking for logic flaws, and meticulous documentation for report submission. While automation accelerates the discovery of common vulnerabilities like XSS and SQLi, the most valuable bugs—business logic errors, authorization bypasses, and complex chain exploits—require human intuition and deep understanding of the application’s functionality. As organizations increasingly adopt microservices and cloud-1ative architectures, the attack surface expands exponentially. Hunters who master API testing, cloud hardening audits, and GraphQL security will find themselves ahead of the curve. The workflow championed by Deepak Saini is not just a checklist—it is a mindset that prioritizes structure over randomness, quality over quantity, and manual validation over blind trust in automation.

Prediction:

  • +1 AI-driven reconnaissance and autonomous penetration testing agents will become standard in bug bounty workflows, handling repetitive tasks like subdomain enumeration and parameter discovery while human hunters focus on complex logic flaws.
  • +1 The demand for cloud-1ative bug bounty hunters will surge as enterprises migrate critical infrastructure to AWS, Azure, and GCP, making IAM misconfigurations and S3 bucket exposures prime targets.
  • -1 Automated scanners will flood bug bounty platforms with low-quality, duplicate reports, increasing the noise-to-signal ratio and making it harder for serious hunters to have their findings noticed.
  • -1 As AI-powered security tools become more accessible, the barrier to entry will drop, saturating the market with novice hunters and reducing average bounty payouts for common vulnerabilities.
  • +1 The most successful hunters will differentiate themselves through deep manual testing, creative exploit chaining, and the ability to uncover business logic flaws that no scanner can detect—skills that remain uniquely human.

Resources and References:

  • GitHub Repository (Deepak Saini’s Bug Bounty Resources): https://lnkd.in/gJqWeReh
  • WhatsApp Community (Learn with Active Hunters): https://lnkd.in/gCcpJx_m
  • YouTube Channel (Practical Bug Hunting): https://lnkd.in/ggrnChxN
  • OWASP Web Security Testing Guide: https://owasp.org/www-project-web-security-testing-guide/
  • ProjectDiscovery Tools: https://github.com/projectdiscovery
  • SecLists Wordlists: https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists

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