“Day 1: Breaking Into Bug Bounties — Your First Steps”
1 min read
Summary
A hacker, who started in bug bounties a year ago and has found over 50 bugs, has provided an overview of the key things they have learned in their first year.
The individual emphasises that hacking requires 90% research and 10% exploitation, and that effective hacking requires patience and reading, rather than the stereotypical fast typing and green text often shown in films and media.
They suggest setting up a “hacking lab” with basic tools, such as a browser (Chrome or Firefox), Burp Suite Community Edition, and a HackerOne account, before beginning to look for bugs.
Their example illustrates that a friend spent three days studying Uber’s policy before finding a misconfigured subdomain that earned them $5,000.
The key learnings summarize the importance of patience, attention to detail, and rigorous study as important skills for any aspiring hacker.