Swiss Army Knife of Top Bug Hunters

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How to use Bash Scripting in Bug Bounty Hunting?

Swiss Army Knife of Bug Bounty

Bash scripting is an invaluable tool in bug bounty hunting, as it allows for automation of repetitive tasks, data processing, and interaction with various tools. Here are some common uses of Bash scripting in bug bounty hunting:

1. Automation of Reconnaissance

Automate tools like subfinder, assetfinder, or amass to find subdomains.

DNS resolution: Use scripts to verify live subdomains with tools like dnsx or massdns.

Port scanning: Combine tools like nmap or masscan with custom scripts for efficient scanning.

Content discovery: Automate tools like ffuf or dirsearch to find hidden directories or files.

Example:

# Subdomain enumeration script
domain=$1
echo "Enumerating subdomains for $domain"
subfinder -d $domain | httprobe > live_subdomains.txt
---

2. Data Parsing and Management

Parsing JSON or CSV output: Process the output of tools like nmap, httpx, or APIs.

Filtering results: Extract relevant information from large datasets (e.g., only subdomains with specific ports open).

Managing wordlists: Combine or sort wordlists for brute-forcing.

Example:

# Extract live URLs from a list of subdomains
cat live_subdomains.txt | grep "https://" > live_urls.txt
---

3. Integration with APIs

Automate interactions with APIs like Shodan, Censys, or VirusTotal.

Automate bug bounty platform APIs (e.g., HackerOne, Bugcrowd) to track programs or submissions.

Example:

# Query Shodan API
api_key="your_api_key"
ip=$1
curl "https://api.shodan.io/shodan/host/$ip?key=$api_key"
---

4. Chaining Tools

Combine multiple tools in a pipeline for advanced workflows.

Automate data flow from reconnaissance to exploitation.

Example:

# Scan live subdomains for vulnerabilities
cat live_subdomains.txt | nuclei -t vulnerabilities/ -o results.txt
---

5. Vulnerability Scanning and Exploitation

Automate fuzzing for parameter discovery or payload testing.

Use scripts for custom proof-of-concept (PoC) testing.

Example:

# Simple XSS testing script
while read url; do
curl "$url" --data "q=<script>alert('XSS')</script>"
done < live_urls.txt

6. Reporting and Notification

Automate the creation of reports with findings.

Send notifications (e.g., via Slack or email) about potential issues.

Example:

# Notify via Slack
curl -X POST -H 'Content-type: application/json' \
--data '{"text":"Bug found on https://example.com"}' \
https://hooks.slack.com/services/your/slack/webhook

Curl/Wget: For HTTP requests and downloading files.

Grep/Awk/Sed: For text processing.

Jq: For parsing JSON.

Nmap/Masscan: For port scanning.

Httpx/Nuclei: For HTTP probing and vulnerability scanning.

Ffuf/Dirsearch: For fuzzing and content discovery.

By leveraging Bash scripting, you can streamline bug bounty workflows, save time, and improve efficiency during your engagements.