This hands-on course trains you in the essentials of bug bounty hunting—reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, and responsible disclosure. You’ll practice finding vulnerabilities in real-world applications using modern tools and techniques. Designed for ethical hackers and security enthusiasts, the course builds technical skills and professional credibility. You'll also explore career paths like AppSec, red teaming, and security research to grow beyond the bounty world.
Module 1 — Introduction to Bug Bounty & Platforms
Understand what bug bounty programs are, why organisations run them, and who participates.
Explore types of programs (public vs private), targets, and rewards offered.
Learn about popular platforms (HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti) and their differences.
Cover benefits, risks, and legal/ethical considerations for researchers.
Module 2 — Web Architecture & Reconnaissance
Review basic web architecture: client–server model, HTTP/HTTPS, and how requests flow.
Introduce reconnaissance (recon): what it is, why it’s vital before testing.
Compare passive vs active scanning and demonstrate common recon tools.
Module 3 — Information Gathering & Target Scoping
Identify directories, files, and hidden endpoints (directory brute forcing).
Fingerprint technology stacks and frameworks.
Use files like robots.txt and sitemap.xml to understand target layout and restrictions.
Module 4 — Common Web Vulnerabilities (Part 1)
Introduction to OWASP Top 10 and why it guides bug bounty hunting.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): basics, patterns, and impact.
SQL Injection (SQLi): fundamental concepts and detection.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): how it works and real-world examples.
Module 5 — Common Web Vulnerabilities (Part 2)
Authentication and session management weaknesses.
Insecure file upload issues and their exploitation paths.
Broken access control and security misconfigurations — why they’re common and severe.
Case examples of high-impact findings from these categories.