Bugbounty Hunting: The First Step After Finding Your Target

Bugbounty hunting is an exciting and rewarding activity for security researchers, ethical hackers, and developers who want to help improve the security of websites and applications while earning rewards for their efforts. Once you’ve found a target, the real work begins. In this blog post, we’ll walk through the first step of bug bounty hunting after identifying your target, and provide you with a roadmap to navigate the next stages of the process successfully.

After selecting your target, the first thing you need to do is ensure that you fully understand the scope of the bug bounty program. The scope defines what you are authorized to test and what is off-limits, ensuring that your efforts are ethical and legal.

1. Review the Bug Bounty Program’s Rules and Scope

Before you dive into testing, always take the time to thoroughly review the rules of the bug bounty program. These guidelines provide clarity on what’s in-scope (allowed to test) and what’s out-of-scope (not allowed to test). This step will help you avoid any potential violations of the program’s rules, which could result in being banned from the platform.

The program’s documentation will also tell you what types of vulnerabilities the company is most interested in, whether it’s XSS, SQL injections, CSRF, or something else. It may also clarify whether you can target subdomains, APIs, or mobile apps associated with the primary target.

2. Identify the Technology Stack

After reading the scope, it’s time to understand the target’s technology stack. By understanding what technologies the target uses (web framework, CMS, programming languages, third-party libraries, etc.), you can better tailor your approach. Researching the stack can reveal common vulnerabilities associated with specific technologies.

Use tools like Wappalyzer or BuiltWith to gather information about the target. This will help you prioritize which areas to focus on based on known vulnerabilities within these technologies.

With a solid understanding of the scope and technologies, the next critical step is reconnaissance. This phase involves gathering as much information as possible about the target to help you identify attack vectors. The goal here is to create a profile of your target.

1. Subdomain Enumeration

Start by discovering subdomains of the target domain. Often, subdomains can lead to less-secure endpoints that could be vulnerable. Tools like Sublist3r, Amass, or Subfinder can help you list all subdomains associated with the target.

2. DNS and WHOIS Information

Check the DNS and WHOIS information for the target domain to gather more details about the domain’s ownership, IP addresses, and possibly other services related to the domain. You can use tools like WhoisXML API for this.

3. Footprinting

Footprinting involves gathering any public information about the target through search engines, social media, or GitHub repositories. Tools like Google Dorking or Shodan can help you find open ports, exposed services, or even leaked credentials that may provide useful insights.

4. Fingerprinting Web Technologies

Use tools like WhatWeb or BuiltWith to identify the specific technologies used by the website. This can tell you if the site is using any outdated or vulnerable software, frameworks, or plugins that could be leveraged in your testing.

Once you’ve gathered all your reconnaissance data, the next step is to map out the attack surface of the target. The attack surface includes any part of the system that could potentially be exploited, such as:

Web Application Endpoints: Identifying key endpoints such as login pages, contact forms, admin panels, etc.APIs: Examining any exposed APIs, especially those that handle sensitive data like authentication or payment processing.Subdomains and Other Services: Sometimes a target may have a subdomain or associated service that’s poorly configured or insecure.

Now is the time to document all potential vulnerabilities you could explore based on your findings. This will help you focus your testing on high-risk areas, reducing the time spent on irrelevant targets.

Once you’ve mapped out the attack surface, you can begin the actual security testing. Always ensure that you’re conducting tests within the boundaries of the program’s scope.

1. Automated Scanning

Before diving into manual testing, you can use automated tools to help identify low-hanging fruits. Tools like Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, and Nmap can help you scan for common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, XSS, or misconfigured headers.

2. Manual Testing

After running an automated scan, go deeper with manual testing. This includes testing for business logic flaws, authentication vulnerabilities, and privilege escalation issues. Focus on more complex vulnerabilities that automated tools may miss.

Remember to test responsibly — be careful not to overwhelm the target’s servers with too many requests, which could result in a denial of service.