Common Mistakes Made by Bug Bounty Hunters and How to Avoid Them

Bug bounty hunting has become a lucrative and rewarding field, attracting cybersecurity enthusiasts from all over the world. However, many hunters—especially beginners—make common mistakes that hinder their progress, waste their time, or even get them into trouble. In this extensive guide, we will break down these mistakes, explain why they happen, and discuss how to avoid them.

---

1. Lack of Proper Reconnaissance

One of the biggest mistakes bug bounty hunters make is skipping proper reconnaissance or relying on automated tools without understanding what they are doing. Reconnaissance (recon) is a crucial phase where you gather information about the target to identify potential attack surfaces.

Common Recon Mistakes:

• Relying solely on tools like subfinder, assetfinder, and amass without manually verifying the results.
• Not using multiple recon techniques (OSINT, DNS enumeration, subdomain enumeration, etc.).
• Ignoring hidden endpoints, backup files, and exposed APIs.
• Not checking for outdated or vulnerable third-party software used by the target.

How to Improve Recon:

• Manually verify subdomains and endpoints instead of relying on tools alone.
• Use curl, dig, nslookup, and other low-noise recon techniques.
• Leverage tools like gau, katana, and waybackurls to find old or forgotten endpoints.
• Enumerate S3 buckets, GitHub repositories, and open directories for additional information.

---

2. Targeting Low-Impact Bugs or Duplicates

Many new hunters waste time reporting low-impact vulnerabilities or submitting duplicate reports.

Common Mistakes:

• Reporting open redirects without any real security impact.
• Submitting outdated or non-exploitable XSS vulnerabilities.
• Ignoring the program’s scope and testing out-of-scope targets.
• Not checking the bug bounty program’s past reports to avoid duplicates.

How to Focus on High-Impact Bugs:

• Prioritize vulnerabilities that lead to data leaks, account takeovers, or privilege escalation.
• Understand the difference between a theoretical vulnerability and an exploitable one.
• Research existing reports on HackerOne, Bugcrowd, or Intigriti to avoid duplicate findings.

---

3. Ignoring the Scope of the Bug Bounty Program

Hunting on out-of-scope assets can get you banned from programs or even legal trouble.

Common Mistakes:

• Testing sites or APIs that are explicitly marked as out-of-scope.
• Attacking production environments without permission.
• Not reading the program’s rules and restrictions carefully.

How to Stay Within Scope:

• Always check the program’s scope before starting any tests.
• Use robots.txt, security.txt, and WHOIS records to verify ownership of assets.
• Avoid automated scanning on production environments unless allowed.

---

4. Not Understanding the Vulnerability Before Reporting

Many bug bounty hunters rush to report a bug without fully understanding its impact, leading to invalid or low-quality reports.

Common Mistakes:

• Reporting a bug without verifying if it’s actually exploitable.
• Submitting a vulnerability without understanding its severity.
• Not providing proper proof-of-concept (PoC) steps or screenshots.

How to Ensure a Valid Report:

• Always test and verify the exploitability of a bug before reporting.
• Explain the impact in detail—how an attacker could abuse the vulnerability.
• Include screenshots, logs, or videos in your report for clarity.

---

5. Over-Reliance on Automated Tools

Automation is useful, but relying too much on tools without understanding their output is a major mistake.

Common Mistakes:

• Running tools like sqlmap or Burp Suite blindly without manual verification.
• Not customizing wordlists for fuzzing tools like ffuf or dirb.
• Failing to analyze and filter false positives.

How to Use Tools Wisely:

• Treat tools as assistants, not replacements for manual testing.
• Learn how the tools work internally to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
• Manually validate all findings instead of blindly submitting tool-generated reports.

---

6. Lack of Patience and Giving Up Too Early

Bug bounty hunting requires persistence. Many hunters give up too soon if they don’t find a bug quickly.

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting to find a bug within minutes or hours.
• Losing motivation after multiple rejections or duplicate reports.
• Not continuously improving skills and learning from mistakes.

How to Stay Motivated:

• Focus on learning rather than just earning.
• Study past bug bounty reports and research real-world vulnerabilities.
• Join cybersecurity communities and network with other hunters for motivation.

---

7. Poor Report Writing Skills

A well-written report can make a difference between a bug being accepted or rejected.

Common Mistakes:

• Writing vague or unclear descriptions.
• Not providing proper steps to reproduce the issue.
• Failing to explain the security impact convincingly.

How to Write a Good Report:

• Use a structured format (Title, Summary, Steps to Reproduce, Impact, PoC, Recommendations).
• Keep it clear and concise but detailed enough for the security team to reproduce.
• Include screenshots, logs, and videos to support your findings.

---

8. Not Understanding the Business Logic of the Target

Some of the best vulnerabilities come from business logic flaws, but many hunters focus only on technical bugs.

Common Mistakes:

• Only looking for XSS, SQLi, and SSRF while ignoring business logic vulnerabilities.
• Not understanding how the application works from an attacker’s perspective.
• Missing out on authentication and authorization bypasses due to lack of attention.

How to Find Business Logic Bugs:

• Think like an attacker—how would you abuse the system if you were a malicious user?
• Test edge cases where the application logic might fail.
• Look for permission misconfigurations, privilege escalations, and logic flaws.

---

9. Not Keeping Up with Security Trends and CVEs

Cybersecurity is constantly evolving, and failing to stay updated can put you at a disadvantage.

Common Mistakes:

• Not reading security blogs, CVE databases, and exploit research.
• Ignoring new attack techniques and evolving threat landscapes.
• Relying on outdated methodologies and missing modern vulnerabilities.

How to Stay Updated:

• Follow security researchers and bug bounty hunters on Twitter, GitHub, and Medium.
• Regularly check CVE databases, ExploitDB, and security mailing lists.
• Participate in CTFs and hands-on labs to sharpen your skills.

---

Conclusion

Bug bounty hunting is a skill that requires patience, knowledge, and a strategic approach. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can improve your efficiency, increase your chances of finding valid bugs, and ultimately earn more rewards. Focus on sharpening your skills, staying updated with security trends, and writing high-quality reports to stand out as a top-tier bug bounty hunter.

Happy hunting! 🕵️‍♂️