Bug bounty hunter learning path

Set up and configure a virtual penetration testing lab environment using Kali Linux.

Describe the phases of a penetration testing methodology (e.g., PTES, OSSTMM).

Perform passive reconnaissance using open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques like Google dorking and public code repository analysis.

Conduct active network discovery using tools like Nmap to identify live hosts and open ports (SYN, UDP, Connect scans).

Perform service and version enumeration on discovered ports to identify potential vulnerabilities.

Enumerate common network services like SMB, FTP, and DNS to gather detailed configuration and user information.

Extract metadata from public documents and analyze social media to gather intelligence on a target.

Organize and document reconnaissance findings in a structured format for attack planning.

Identify potential exploits for discovered services using search engines and exploit databases.

Set up and navigate the Metasploit Framework to search for and configure exploit modules.

Use Metasploit to exploit a vulnerable network service and gain initial shell access.

Generate standalone payloads with `msfvenom` and understand basic encoding techniques.

Establish stable remote access using reverse and bind shells.

Perform brute-force attacks against network service authentication (e.g., SSH, FTP) using Hydra.

Perform basic post-exploitation enumeration on a compromised host to gather system information.

Identify and exploit default credentials and common misconfigurations in network services.

Configure a browser to proxy web traffic through an interception proxy like Burp Suite.

Analyze HTTP/S requests and responses to understand application functionality, including headers, cookies, and API calls.

Use Burp Suite's spidering and content discovery tools to map the application's attack surface.

Manually browse the application to identify key user workflows and business logic.

Use browser developer tools to inspect and analyze client-side code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).

Identify web server technologies, frameworks, and potential misconfigurations using tools like Nikto and Wappalyzer.

Enumerate API endpoints by analyzing application traffic and client-side JavaScript files.

Differentiate between common API authentication patterns like API Keys, Bearer Tokens (JWT), and OAuth.

Analyze authentication flows to identify weaknesses such as insecure credential handling and lack of rate limiting.

Perform username enumeration by analyzing application error messages and response timing.

Execute credential-based attacks (brute-force, password spraying, credential stuffing) using Burp Suite Intruder.

Analyze session token generation to identify weak or predictable identifiers.

Exploit session fixation vulnerabilities to hijack authenticated user sessions.

Test password reset workflows for logic flaws, such as token leakage or parameter tampering, to achieve account takeover.

Identify and exploit insecure multi-factor authentication (MFA) implementations for bypass.

Exploit insecure client-side controls that attempt to enforce authentication or authorization.

Identify and exploit Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) to access unauthorized data and functionality.

Manipulate request parameters to bypass authorization checks and impersonate other users.

Use forced browsing techniques to access unauthenticated administrative or sensitive endpoints.

Identify and exploit business logic flaws, such as price manipulation in e-commerce applications.

Test application workflows for bypass vulnerabilities that allow skipping critical steps.

Use request sequencing tools to send concurrent requests and exploit race condition vulnerabilities.

Explain time-of-check-to-time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition flaws in the context of web applications.

Chain an authorization bypass with another vulnerability to escalate impact.

Identify SQL injection entry points by testing input fields with SQL metacharacters.

Exploit error-based SQL injection to extract database error messages and schema information.

Perform union-based SQL injection to retrieve data from other database tables.

Extract data from a database using boolean-based blind SQL injection techniques.

Extract data from a database using time-based blind SQL injection techniques.

Automate the detection and exploitation of SQL injection vulnerabilities using SQLMap.

Write manual SQL injection payloads to bypass common input filters and sanitization.

Explain and demonstrate out-of-band SQL injection techniques.

Identify and exploit reflected XSS vulnerabilities by injecting non-persistent JavaScript into user inputs.

Identify and exploit stored XSS by injecting persistent malicious scripts into application data.

Analyze client-side code to identify and exploit DOM-based XSS vulnerabilities.

Bypass common XSS filters and input sanitization using encoding, obfuscation, and event handlers.

Craft an XSS payload to steal a victim's session cookies and exfiltrate them to an attacker-controlled server.

Craft an XSS payload to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of a victim user (CSRF via XSS).

Test for Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities and analyze the effectiveness of anti-CSRF tokens.

Identify and demonstrate the impact of clickjacking vulnerabilities.

Identify and exploit OS command injection vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary commands on the server.

Bypass command injection filters using techniques like command separators, wildcards, and encoding.

Identify and exploit path traversal vulnerabilities to read arbitrary files on the server (Local File Inclusion).

Bypass LFI filters using techniques such as null-byte injection and path truncation.

Exploit Remote File Inclusion (RFI) vulnerabilities to include and execute code from external sources.

Achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE) via LFI by poisoning log files or other on-server files.

Identify and exploit file upload vulnerabilities by bypassing file type, content, and extension filters.

Upload a web shell to a vulnerable application to achieve persistent RCE.

Explain how data serialization works and the RCE risks associated with insecure deserialization.

Identify and exploit insecure deserialization vulnerabilities in a target application (e.g., Python Pickle).

Identify XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerabilities by manipulating XML parsers.

Exploit XXE to exfiltrate local files and perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF).

Identify and exploit SSRF vulnerabilities to scan internal networks and interact with internal services.

Upgrade a basic SSRF to a more impactful attack by targeting cloud metadata services (e.g., AWS IMDS).

Identify the presence of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) through response analysis.

Apply basic WAF bypass techniques for common vulnerabilities like SQLi and XSS.

Analyze the structure of a JSON Web Token (JWT) including its header, payload, and signature.

Exploit JWT vulnerabilities such as weak secrets, algorithm confusion (`alg=none`), and signature stripping.

Identify and exploit HTTP Request Smuggling vulnerabilities to bypass security controls and access internal systems.

Identify and exploit web cache poisoning vulnerabilities to serve malicious content to users.

Exploit OAuth 2.0 implementation flaws such as insecure redirect URIs and state parameter weaknesses.

Test GraphQL endpoints for common vulnerabilities like information disclosure via introspection and batching attacks.

Use Python to script a proof-of-concept exploit for a discovered web vulnerability.

Chain multiple web vulnerabilities (e.g., SSRF + Command Injection) to achieve a critical impact.

Perform manual and automated enumeration on a compromised Linux host to identify privilege escalation vectors.

Exploit misconfigured sudo permissions to escalate privileges to root.

Exploit SUID/GUID binaries to escalate privileges on a Linux system.

Perform manual and automated enumeration on a compromised Windows host.

Exploit insecure service permissions and unquoted service paths to escalate privileges on Windows.

Extract credentials from memory (e.g., Mimikatz), configuration files, and the registry on compromised systems.

Establish persistence on a compromised host using techniques appropriate for the operating system.

Clean up artifacts and payloads from a compromised system to cover tracks.

Explain the concepts of pivoting, port forwarding, and tunneling in a compromised network.

Use tools like `chisel` or `ssh` to pivot from a compromised host into an internal network.

Perform lateral movement by reusing compromised credentials (e.g., Pass-the-Hash).

Define the objectives, scope, and Rules of Engagement (RoE) for a professional penetration test.

Effectively navigate and interpret bug bounty program policies and scopes.

Write a clear and actionable vulnerability report that includes a description, impact, and remediation steps.

Assign a CVSS score to a vulnerability based on its technical characteristics and impact.

Develop a personal methodology for approaching a new target in a bug bounty or penetration testing engagement.