How to become a bug bounty hunter

Interestingly, a bug hunter is the reporter who is rewarded for finding out the vulnerabilities in websites and software. No certification or qualification is required to become a bug bounty hunter but the architecture of the application and the security issues in applications should be read thoroughly. Becoming a bug hunter is also not a matter of age, so get that out of the way.

To become a bug hunter, the crucial aspect is to learn about web application technologies and mobile application technologies. These are the things that will kick-start your career as a bug bounty hunter. Usually, if you form a team with a friend, it will help you bounce off ideas and work more closely with them in order to produce better reports and results

Bug bounty hunting is considered to be a desirable skill nowadays and it is the highest paid skill as well. A bug bounty hunter conventionally makes more than a software developer. It is advised to start small. Instead of finding and hitting large programs, start off with smaller programs and try to find vulnerabilities and bugs. When you are done with several little code and programs, then you may move on to some bigger programs. But do not jump over the software managing the entire company, despite some moderate sized software.

Reading books

There are many books available online to guide and help you in learning the basics and fundamentals of penetration testing and bug hunting. As bug bounties generally are about to comprise website targets, it is advised to start with website hacking and then move forward. It is essential to focus on the interesting and exciting area of hacking.

Practicing what you learned

At the time of learning, it is crucial that you understand and retain whatever you learn. Practice what you have learned in real time. Vulnerable applications and systems are great ways to test your skill set in virtual environments. This will also provide you with an estimate of what you are going to contribute in the real world.

Reading proof of concepts

Following the tips, by now you may have acquired a brief understanding of how to look for and deal with security vulnerabilities. So, the next step is to check what other bug bounty hunters are finding out and working on. Fortunately, the security community is pretty generous in sharing knowledge and a list of write-ups and tutorials is available to enhance your understanding. This can be done by viewing reports.

Learning from reports

By time you read POCs, you are almost about to start bug bounty hunting. But to start off with bug bounty hunting, you need to learn how the bug bounties work and how to get started with the procedure. This is done in order to assure and maximize the chances of success. Here are some resources that you can learn from:

• H1 nobbed
• Facebook's disclosure blog
• Jack Whitton's blog
• Frans Rosen's blog
• Rafay Baloch's blog

Starting bug bounty hunting

When you are new or at a beginner level, then it is suggested not to try to hack the most public and common bugs. If you start off with hacking Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and other popular platforms, it is likely that you will end up frustrated because these sites are secure, as they have received and resolved many bug reports. Instead of targeting such sites, try to focus on the bounties that go ignored and unnoticed by other hackers and hunters.

Learning and networking with others

The most exciting thing about hacking is that it is a long journey of learning. There is always something new and interesting going around about hacking. A number of new articles and presentations are always available to learn from. There are many interesting people and experts to meet at conferences which, creates more opportunities to pursue in this field.