Bug Bounty | Here’s Why Your Way To Success Doesn’t Lie In Learning

When I started learning Bug Bounty a few months ago, I kept wondering whether I should study more before diving in or just jump in and gain experience by hunting bounties.

I was torn between the temptation to start hunting and potentially earn money, and continuing to learn more because I didn’t feel ready yet; in fact, I felt like I didn’t know enough.

This way of thinking led me to spend too much time LEARNING and not enough time DOING.

Every time I tried looking for vulnerabilities on a website, I would quit without giving myself enough time to search, try, explore, and understand how the website worked. I would then go back to studying, thinking I didn’t know enough yet.

Get this into your head!

You must learn by doing, not just by studying.

Watching videos and reading blogs can help you find vulnerabilities. But I swear, after a while, learning this way doesn’t help as much. You’ll feel like you’re drowning in too much information but still can’t apply it well in real situations.

You don’t need to be an XSS expert, a JavaScript pro, or know every category of vulnerabilities. You don’t even need months of study. I had only been in bug bounty for ONE month when I earned my first bounty.

All you need is curiosity, a willingness to learn, and the drive to dive in and get HANDS-ON.

As bug bounty hunters, we often find ourselves drowning in tutorials, videos, and resources. While access to information seems like a blessing, it can quickly lead to information paralysis.

We believe that the more we learn, the closer we’ll be to success.

That’s TRUE!

BUT this belief can come at a significant cost that often goes unnoticed.

Endlessly consuming tutorials, like I did, can take up valuable time that could be spent practicing. Tutorials are useful, but they should be a stepping stone, not the final goal. Spending too much time on theory leads to stagnation in practical skills and an overload of information, leaving your brain feeling burnt out!

Dive into the program details, understand the scope, and start hunting for bugs that can earn you rewards. Don’t be afraid of failure. This site’s contact form might be secured against all types of XSS, but have you checked the comment section? And what about the search bar?

Yes, I know.
Testing the search bar when the contact form seems over-secured might sound ridiculously stupid, but check my last article — that’s where I found my first XSS, which ended up making me money.

I mean, sometimes the best vulnerabilities are hidden in places people don’t even think to look because they’re meant to be overlooked.

Finding the right balance between learning and hunting is crucial. Spending too much time learning without practicing will leave you feeling stuck.

On the other hand, diving into hunting without enough knowledge can be frustrating.

It’s all about finding that sweet spot. Personally, I believe that after a month of learning, at least 40% of your time should be spent hunting.

So you know what you have to do now — go hunt some bounties!