How to Hunt Bugs Like a Pro: A Bug Bounty Guide

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Bug bounty hunting is a lucrative and exciting field in cybersecurity, where ethical hackers discover vulnerabilities in systems and report them for rewards. Here’s a deep dive into techniques, tools, and commands used by top bug bounty hunters.

You Should Know:

1. Reconnaissance & Enumeration

Before attacking, gather as much information as possible:

  • Subdomain Enumeration: 
    subfinder -d example.com -o subs.txt 
assetfinder --subs-only example.com | tee -a subs.txt
  • Wayback Machine URLs: 
    waybackurls example.com > urls.txt 
gau example.com --o urls.txt
  • Port Scanning: 
    nmap -sV -T4 -p- example.com -oN scan.txt

2. Vulnerability Scanning

Automate initial checks:

  • Nikto for Web Scanning: 
    nikto -h https://example.com -output nikto_scan.txt
  • FFuF for Directory Bruteforcing: 
    ffuf -w wordlist.txt -u https://example.com/FUZZ -o fuzz_results.json

3. API Testing

APIs are a goldmine for bugs:

  • Discovering API Endpoints: 
    katana -u https://api.example.com -o api_endpoints.txt
  • Testing for IDOR: 
    curl -X GET "https://api.example.com/user/123" -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN"

4. Exploiting Common Vulnerabilities

  • SQL Injection: 
    sqlmap -u "https://example.com/search?id=1" --dbs --batch
  • XSS Testing: 
    dalfox url "https://example.com/search?q=test" --blind --custom-payload xss-payloads.txt

5. Reporting & Earning

  • Always provide detailed PoC (Proof of Concept).
  • Use Markdown formatting for clear reports.

What Undercode Say:

Bug bounty hunting requires persistence, automation, and deep knowledge of web/API vulnerabilities. Always stay updated with:
– Latest CVEs (cve-search tool).
– New hacking tools (check GitHub daily).
– Burp Suite extensions for advanced testing.

Expected Output: A well-documented bug report leading to a bounty payout.

Prediction:

With AI-powered bug hunting tools on the rise, automated vulnerability discovery will dominate, but manual testing will remain crucial for complex flaws.

Relevant Bugcrowd University
API Testing Guide: OWASP API Security

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Ajay Kumar – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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