🎯 Why This Matters

Bug bounty hunting is a legitimate career path where companies pay you to find security vulnerabilities in their systems before malicious hackers do. Companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and thousands of others actively run these programs. It's legal, financially rewarding, and you can do it from anywhere in the world. But like any valuable skill, it requires learning the right approach. This course gives you the foundation to earn your first bounty.

🔍 What You'll Learn

• How bug bounty programs work (and why companies pay for vulnerabilities)
• Major platforms and their differences
• Severity levels explained (P1-P5) with real examples
• Realistic expectations and timelines
• What makes successful hunters different
• Legal and ethical considerations that protect you

🚀 Your First Win

In about 20 minutes, you'll understand exactly how bug bounty works, what the terminology means, and have a realistic picture of what your journey will look like.

"Bug bounty is a marathon, not a sprint. The hunters who persist are the ones who succeed."

Why Do Companies Pay for Bugs?

Think of it this way: a company has two choices when it comes to their security vulnerabilities:

1. A malicious hacker finds the bug first → Data breach, lawsuits, reputation damage, potentially millions in losses
2. A friendly researcher finds it first → Pay them a few thousand dollars, fix it quietly, problem solved

The math is clear: paying researchers is dramatically cheaper than suffering a breach. A $10,000 bounty for a critical bug is nothing compared to the average data breach cost of $4.45 million (IBM 2023 report). Companies aren't being generous - they're being smart.

Scope — The boundaries of what you're allowed to test. Example: "*.company.com is in scope. internal.company.com is out of scope." Testing outside scope removes your legal protection.

Triage — When the security team reviews your report to determine if it's valid, assess severity, and decide on the bounty amount. Good programs triage within days; slow ones take weeks.

Duplicate — Another researcher reported the same bug before you. You won't get paid, but you'll usually see it was marked duplicate (frustrating, but part of the game).

N/A (Not Applicable) — Your report was closed because it doesn't represent a real security risk. Maybe it's intended behavior, already known, or the impact is too theoretical.

Signal — Your ratio of valid reports to total reports. High signal (many valid reports) gets you invited to private programs with less competition.

P1 / Critical — $5,000 to $100,000+

What it means: Complete system compromise with minimal or no user interaction required.

Examples:

• Remote Code Execution (RCE) — You can run commands on their servers
• SQL Injection leading to full database access — You can read/modify all data
• Authentication bypass — Access any account without credentials
• Privilege escalation to admin — Regular user becomes administrator

P2 / High — $1,000 to $10,000

What it means: Significant data exposure or account compromise, often requiring some user interaction.

Examples:

• Stored XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) on main application — Steal session cookies
• IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) accessing sensitive data — View other users' private info
• Account takeover via password reset flaw — Compromise accounts through weak reset flow
• Sensitive data exposure — API leaking user passwords or payment info

P3 / Medium — $250 to $2,000

What it means: Limited impact or requires specific conditions to exploit.

Examples:

• Reflected XSS — Requires victim to click a crafted link
• CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) on non-critical functions — Trick users into actions
• IDOR on non-sensitive data — View other users' public profile data
• Subdomain takeover on inactive subdomain — Less traffic, less impact

P4 / Low — $50 to $500

What it means: Minor security impact, hard to exploit, or limited exposure.

Examples:

• Open redirect — Can redirect users to malicious sites (useful for phishing)
• Verbose error messages — Leak internal paths or software versions
• Missing security headers — Best practice issues
• Self-XSS — XSS that only affects your own account

P5 / Informational — $0 to $100 (often no bounty)

What it means: No direct security impact but worth noting.

Examples:

• Minor information disclosure — Software version numbers
• Best practice recommendations — "You should enable HSTS"
• Issues with no clear exploit path

Pro tip: Don't chase P5s trying to pad your stats. Focus on finding real vulnerabilities with actual impact. One P2 is worth more than fifty P5s, both in money and reputation.

Which should you start with? Create accounts on all three - they're free. Browse their programs, see which have targets that interest you, and start there. Many hunters use multiple platforms.

The mindset that wins: Treat the first 6 months as skill-building, not money-making. Every duplicate teaches you speed. Every N/A teaches you what real bugs look like. Hunters who stick around past the frustration phase are the ones who succeed.

Google's Vulnerability Reward Program

In 2022, Google's VRP paid out over $12 million to security researchers worldwide. Individual payouts ranged from a few hundred dollars to over $100,000 for critical vulnerabilities in Chrome, Android, and Google Cloud. One researcher earned $605,000 in a single year from Google alone.

Takeaway: Major companies take bug bounty seriously and pay accordingly. These aren't token payments - they're serious money for serious skills.

From Complete Beginner to Full-Time Hunter

Many of today's top hunters started with zero security experience. The common thread in their stories isn't natural talent or computer science degrees - it's consistency, curiosity, and developing a specialty. Some focus on API security, others on mobile apps, others on specific vulnerability types.

Takeaway: You don't need a security background to start. Dedication to learning and persistence through the difficult early months are what matter.

The Part-Time Success

Not everyone goes full-time. Many successful hunters maintain day jobs and hunt 10-15 hours per week, earning $20K-$50K+ annually as supplemental income. The flexibility of bug bounty means you can scale up or down based on your life circumstances.

Takeaway: Bug bounty can be a career or a lucrative side hustle. Both paths are valid.

⚠️ Critical Rules — Violating These Can Mean Legal Trouble

1. Stay within scope. If a program says "test *.company.com except internal.company.com," you cannot test internal.company.com. Out-of-scope testing is unauthorized access - potentially criminal.

2. Never access real user data. If you find a bug that exposes user data, stop, document it, and report it. Don't download the database, don't look at actual user records.

3. No denial of service. Don't crash their systems, even if you think you found a DoS vulnerability. Describe it theoretically if you suspect one exists.

4. Report privately. Never disclose vulnerabilities publicly until the company has fixed them AND given permission. Most programs have explicit disclosure timelines.

5. Follow program-specific rules. Some programs prohibit automated scanning. Some require you to use test accounts. Read the rules before testing.

Safe harbor protects you, but only if you follow the rules. Think of it like a license to drive: it gives you permission, but you still have to follow traffic laws. Stay within scope, don't be reckless, and you'll be fine.

Do I need a computer science degree?

No. Many successful hunters are self-taught, including some of the top earners. What you need is understanding of web technologies (HTTP, JavaScript, APIs), persistence, and continuous learning. All the resources to learn are available free online. A degree can help but isn't required.

How much can I realistically earn?

Varies enormously. First 3-6 months might earn you nothing while learning. First year as a serious part-time hunter: $5K-$20K is realistic. Experienced hunters working part-time: $20K-$50K/year. Full-time professionals: $100K-$500K+. Top 1% earn $1M+. It's entirely skill-dependent, and skills improve with practice.

Is it too competitive now?

The most popular programs on major platforms are competitive - many skilled hunters target them. But attack surface constantly grows: new companies launch programs, existing companies add features, new technologies create new vulnerability types. Hunters who develop specialties, unique methodologies, or focus on newer programs still find success. The field rewards expertise and persistence.

What programming languages should I learn?

You don't need to be a programmer, but understanding code helps. JavaScript is most useful since it runs on every website. Python helps for writing automation scripts. Being able to read code in whatever language the target uses (PHP, Java, Ruby, etc.) helps you understand how features work and where vulnerabilities might hide.

Can I do this part-time while working another job?

Absolutely. Many successful hunters have full-time jobs and hunt evenings and weekends. 10-15 focused hours per week can produce results once you've built skills. Some hunters specifically target programs in their professional domain (banking, healthcare, e-commerce) where their day job gives them extra insight.