Bug Bounty Mastery

Start with method, not payloads. Read a program's scope and rules, map the target's endpoints and inputs, attach a likely bug class to each input, confirm with the smallest possible proof, and write a reproducible report. Drill the common classes, IDOR, SQL injection, and XSS, on a lab target first.

A program's published scope and rules of engagement are the invitation that makes testing legal, and only for the assets listed as in-scope. Testing anything outside that scope is unauthorised access and illegal, even if your intent is to help. Always confirm an asset is in scope before the first request.

The bread-and-butter classes: broken access control such as IDOR, injection such as SQL injection, and cross-site scripting. They are common, high-impact, and clearly demonstrable, which is why they are frequently rewarded. This course drills all three on a live vulnerable lab app.

Only enough to remove doubt. Read one unauthorised record, pop one harmless marker, or bypass one login, then describe any further impact in words. Dumping real data, pivoting, or disrupting a service turns a valid finding into a scope violation and can be illegal.

It has a clear title, a justified severity, exact copy-pasteable reproduction steps, evidence that shows real impact, and a concrete remediation. Triagers reward findings they can reproduce and developers can fix, so clarity and a named fix matter as much as the bug itself.

Not automatically. An explicit out-of-scope entry always beats a wildcard, unlisted infrastructure such as storage buckets or third-party hosts is usually not invited, and programs differ on whether the wildcard covers the apex domain. When a scope page is ambiguous, ask the program in writing before testing.