How to Earn 5K in 30 Days with API Bug Bounty Hunting

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API vulnerabilities are a goldmine for bug hunters, as demonstrated by Reza Sharifzade’s success—earning over $25K in 30 days by focusing on GraphQL and REST API attacks. Here’s how you can replicate this approach.

You Should Know:

1. Target Selection

  • Focus on public bug bounty programs (Bugcrowd, HackerOne, Intigriti).
  • Prioritize companies with high payouts for API-related bugs.

2. Common API Vulnerabilities to Hunt

  • Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA)
  • Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR)
  • GraphQL Introspection Exploits
  • Mass Assignment in REST APIs
  • JWT Token Manipulation

3. Tools & Commands for API Testing

 GraphQL Introspection Query 
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"query":"{__schema{types{name}}}"}' https://target.com/graphql

JWT Tampering 
python3 jwt_tool.py <JWT_TOKEN> -T

REST API Fuzzing with FFUF 
ffuf -u https://api.target.com/v1/users/FUZZ -w wordlist.txt -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN"

Automated API Testing with Postman & Newman 
newman run collection.json --env-var "baseUrl=https://api.target.com"

4. Methodology for Efficient Hunting

  • Recon: Use Burp Suite, OWASP Amass, and Postman to map API endpoints.
  • Fuzzing: Test for IDOR, SQLi, and SSRF using Arjun, Kiterunner.
  • Automation: Script repetitive tasks with Python (requests library).

5. Time Management

  • Work in 5-hour focused sessions (as Reza did).
  • Use time-tracking tools like Toggl to maximize efficiency.

What Undercode Say:

API bug hunting is highly rewarding but requires deep technical knowledge. Mastering GraphQL, REST security flaws, and automation will drastically improve success rates. Expect misconfigured CORS, excessive data exposure, and weak authentication in most programs.

Prediction:

As APIs dominate modern web apps, API-based bug bounties will grow by 40% in 2024, making this the best time to specialize in API security.

Expected Output:

  • $25K+ earnings in 30 days
  • 6 Critical, 5 High, 5 Medium vulnerabilities found
  • 80% triage rate on submissions

Relevant URLs:

References:

Reported By: Reza Sharifzade – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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