Bug bounty hunting can feel like treasure hunting on the internet. Companies are constantly rewarding hackers (ethical ones, of course) for finding vulnerabilities before the bad guys do. But here's the catch: most people quit after a few failed attempts. Why? Because they either don’t know where to start, or they waste time on unstructured methods. If you’re serious about scoring your first bug bounty, this guide will walk you through 10 advanced yet beginner-friendly steps, packed with real-world examples, automation workflows, and time-saving scripts.

Let’s dive in! 🚀

Step 1: Port Scanning with Nmap – Finding the Entry Points

Think of port scanning as knocking on all the doors of a house to see which ones are open. If a port is open, it might lead to an application or service worth testing.

Manual Approach:

nmap -sV -A target.com

• -sV: Detects service versions.
• -A: Enables OS detection and traceroute.

Automation Idea:

Instead of running Nmap manually for every target, automate with a Bash one-liner:

for ip in $(cat targets.txt); do nmap -sV -p- $ip -oN results/$ip.txt; done

This scans all ports (-p-) for a list of targets and saves results per host.

Real-World Case:

On HackerOne, a researcher once found an outdated FTP service running on port 21 that allowed anonymous login. That simple scan led to a $1,000 bounty.

👉 Pro Tip: Chain Nmap with tools like masscan for faster wide-range scans.

Step 2: Test for SQL Injection Vulnerabilities

SQL Injection (SQLi) is one of the oldest yet most lucrative vulnerabilities.

Manual Approach:

Try injecting a payload:

' OR '1'='1 --

into login forms or search bars.

Automation Idea:

Use sqlmap:

sqlmap -u "http://target.com/page.php?id=1" --batch --dbs

For automation, feed multiple URLs:

cat urls.txt | xargs -n 1 -I {} sqlmap -u {} --batch --crawl=2 --level=5 --risk=3

Real-World Case:

A Bugcrowd researcher earned $4,000 by automating SQLi checks across subdomains. The bug exposed customer data through a vulnerable query.

👉 Pro Tip: Always start with parameterized inputs. Don’t waste time on static pages.

Step 3: Test for XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) Vulnerabilities

XSS allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by users.

Manual Payload:

<script>alert('XSS')</script>

Automation Idea:

Use XSStrike or Dalfox for automation:

dalfox url https://target.com --deep-dom --blind https://your-xss-hunter-server

Real-World Case:

A beginner on HackerOne scored their first $500 bounty by automating XSS tests across 50 endpoints with Dalfox.

👉 Pro Tip: Host your own XSS Hunter service to detect blind XSS.

Step 4: Directory Enumeration

Many hidden treasures lie behind unlinked directories.

Manual Approach:

dirb http://target.com/ /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt

Automation Idea:

Use Gobuster with automation:

for url in $(cat urls.txt); do gobuster dir -u $url -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -o results/$url.txt; done

Real-World Case:

A hunter found /admin/backup.zip containing source code and received $1,200 on HackerOne.

👉 Pro Tip: Create a custom wordlist using CeWL that scrapes keywords from the target site.

Step 5: Subdomain Enumeration

More subdomains = more attack surface.

Manual Approach:

sublist3r -d target.com

Automation Idea:

Combine multiple tools:

amass enum -d target.com -o subdomains.txt
assetfinder --subs-only target.com >> subdomains.txt
sort -u subdomains.txt -o subdomains.txt

Real-World Case:

A researcher used subdomain automation to find a forgotten staging server exposing API keys. Result? $3,000 bounty.

👉 Pro Tip: Use crt.sh and Wayback Machine to find historical subdomains.

Step 6: Test for Authentication Bypass

Broken authentication can unlock admin portals.

Manual Tests:

• Use payloads like ' OR '1'='1 in login fields.
• Try password reset functionality with emails you control.

Automation Idea:

Use Burp Suite Intruder or Hydra:

hydra -l admin -P rockyou.txt target.com http-post-form "/login:username=^USER^&password=^PASS^:Invalid"

Real-World Case:

On Bugcrowd, bypassing 2FA with crafted requests landed a hacker $5,000.

👉 Pro Tip: Automate common login bypass attempts with a Python script that rotates payloads.

Step 7: Check for Default Credentials

Many services go live with default usernames and passwords.

Manual Approach:

• Try admin:admin, root:toor, test:test.

Automation Idea:

Scripted brute force:

hydra -L users.txt -P passwords.txt target.com ssh

Real-World Case:

One hunter found a Jenkins admin panel with admin:admin and earned $750.

👉 Pro Tip: Maintain a JSON file of default creds for automation.

Step 8: Test Session Management Vulnerabilities

Weak session handling can lead to account takeover.

Manual Tests:

• Try reusing session cookies.
• Change tokens slightly to test predictability.

Automation Idea:

Python script to check for session fixation:

import requests

url = "http://target.com/login"
s = requests.Session()

resp = s.post(url, data={"username":"test","password":"test"})
print(s.cookies)

Real-World Case:

A researcher discovered predictable session IDs and claimed $2,500.

👉 Pro Tip: Automate cookie replay attacks with Burp Repeater macros.

Step 9: Run Automated Vulnerability Scanners

Sometimes, letting tools do the heavy lifting is efficient.

Tools:

• Nessus
• OpenVAS
• Nikto

Automation Idea:

Batch scanning:

for host in $(cat targets.txt); do nikto -h $host -o results/$host.txt; done

Real-World Case:

A bounty hunter used OpenVAS to identify an outdated WordPress plugin and earned $1,800.

👉 Pro Tip: Combine multiple scanners and cross-validate results.

Step 10: Google Dorking – Hacking with Search Engines

Google isn’t just for memes. With the right queries, you can find sensitive information.

Examples:

• site:target.com inurl:admin
• site:target.com filetype:sql

Automation Idea:

Use GooFuzz or custom Python scripts with Google API.

Real-World Case:

A researcher found exposed .env files using Google Dorks, revealing API keys. Payout? $1,000.

👉 Pro Tip: Automate with dorks.txt against targets.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Only relying on one tool.
• Forgetting scope rules (don’t hack outside scope).
• Not documenting findings.

Legal & Ethical Considerations ⚖️

• Only test programs listed on bug bounty platforms (HackerOne, Bugcrowd).
• Don’t exploit beyond proof-of-concept.
• Always respect NDAs.

Progression Tracking & Community Resources

• Keep a hacking journal (targets, tools used, results).
• Join communities like Reddit /r/bugbounty and Discord bug bounty groups.
• Follow top hunters on Twitter/X.

Final Motivation 💡

Your first bug bounty is the hardest, but also the most rewarding. Automate, document, and persist. Remember, even if you don’t land a bounty immediately, you’re building a skillset that companies will pay top dollar for.

👉 Call-to-Action: Pick one step today, automate it, and apply it to a real bug bounty program. Your first payout might be closer than you think!