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Posted by deusx23
3 months ago
What is Bug Bounty?

A bug bounty is a monetary reward given to ethical hackers for successfully discovering and reporting a vulnerability or bug to the application's developer. Bug bounty programs allow companies to leverage the hacker community to improve their systems’ security posture over time continuously.

Hackers around the world hunt bugs and, in some cases, earn full-time incomes. Bounty programs attract a wide range of hackers with varying skill sets and expertise giving businesses an advantage over tests that may use less experienced security teams to identify vulnerabilities.

How Does a Bug Bounty Program Work?

Businesses starting bounty programs must first set the scope and budget for their programs. A scope defines what systems a hacker can test and outlines how a test is conducted. For example, some organizations keep certain domains off-limits or include that testing causes no impact on day-to-day business operations. This allows them to implement security testing without compromising overall organizational efficiencies, productivity, and ultimately, the bottom line.

Bug bounties with competitive payouts tell the hacking community companies are serious about vulnerability disclosure and security.  Programs base reward levels on the severity of vulnerabilities, and rewards increase as the potential impact increases.

Popular Bug Bounty Platforms:

Several platforms facilitate bug bounty programs, connecting organizations with security researchers. Some of the most popular ones include:

HackerOne

  • Bugcrowd
  • Synack
  • Open Bug Bounty

Skills Needed For Bug Bounty


Technical Skills

  • Programming and Scripting: Proficiency in languages like Python, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, and Bash for creating exploits and automation scripts.
  • Web Technologies: Understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and common web frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Django).
  • Networking: Knowledge of network protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP/S, DNS) and tools like Wireshark for network traffic analysis.
  • Operating Systems: Familiarity with Linux, Windows, and macOS, including their security features and vulnerabilities.
  • Database Management: Understanding of SQL and NoSQL databases, and how to exploit SQL injection vulnerabilities.
  • Cryptography: Basic understanding of encryption, hashing, and common cryptographic vulnerabilities.

Security Skills

  • Vulnerability Identification: Knowledge of common vulnerabilities (e.g., XSS, CSRF, SQLi, RCE, SSRF) and how to identify them.
  • Penetration Testing: Skills in performing penetration tests, using tools like Metasploit, Burp Suite, and OWASP ZAP.
  • Reverse Engineering: Ability to reverse engineer binaries and software to find vulnerabilities.
  • Exploit Development: Creating and testing exploits to verify vulnerabilities.
  • Mobile Security: Understanding of security issues related to iOS and Android applications.
  • API Security: Knowledge of RESTful and SOAP APIs, and how to test them for security issues.

Tools Proficiency

  • Burp Suite: For web vulnerability scanning and manual testing.
  • Nmap: For network discovery and security auditing.
  • Metasploit: For developing and executing exploit code.
  • Wireshark: For network traffic analysis.
  • John the Ripper/Hashcat: For password cracking.
  • Ghidra/IDA Pro: For reverse engineering.
  • OWASP ZAP: For web application security testing.
  • Nikto: For web server scanning.

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