Your First Bounty 💸

Introduction

Bug bounty programs have become an important part of modern cybersecurity. Companies publicly open their websites, mobile applications, APIs, and digital assets for ethical hackers to test. In return, researchers who discover valid vulnerabilities receive monetary rewards. This system creates a competitive, skill-driven environment where the strongest findings earn payouts. Unlike penetration testing, bug bounty does not provide a job, a contract, or a stable salary. It is a self-driven activity where income is entirely dependent on discovery, creativity, and persistence.

This guide presents a clear and realistic overview of the bug bounty field, including how it works, how it differs from pentesting, expected earnings, required skills, Pakistan-specific realities, and trusted learning resources.

What Bug Bounty Is

Bug bounty is a public vulnerability disclosure system. Companies publish “programs” on dedicated platforms and invite external researchers to test their systems legally. The most widely used platforms include:

Each program defines its scope, rules, allowed targets, testing boundaries, and reward range. Researchers perform reconnaissance, test the application, identify flaws, and then submit a detailed proof-of-concept report. If the company verifies the issue, the researcher receives a payout. If the bug is invalid or duplicated, no reward is given. This “zero guarantee” structure is the core reality of bug bounty work.

Bug Bounty vs Penetration Testing

Although both practices involve finding vulnerabilities, their structure, expectations, and compensation models are very different.

Penetration Testing is a formal job. The company hires you, defines the exact scope, and pays a fixed fee or salary. The primary objective is coverage—systematically testing all in-scope components and producing a structured report.

Bug Bounty, on the other hand, is open and competitive. Researchers select targets themselves, operate independently, and earn only if they submit impactful vulnerabilities. The objective is impact, not coverage. This often requires deeper recon, creativity, and persistence because thousands of researchers may be testing the same application simultaneously.

In short:
Pentesting provides stability and structure.
Bug bounty provides freedom but carries uncertainty.

The Situation for Bug Bounty Hunters in Pakistan

For Pakistani learners, bug bounty is accessible because it is remote and skill-based. However, because of low entry barriers, competition is extremely high. Many beginners expect quick money, but real results take time. It is normal to spend three to twelve months before finding the first valid bug. The researchers who consistently earn are those who develop strong recon techniques, understand business logic deeply, and write clear reports.

Only a small percentage of Pakistani hunters earn full-time income from bug bounty. For most, the safest approach is treating bug bounty as a side pursuit while building a career through a degree or a cybersecurity job.

Realistic Earnings

Reward amounts differ across platforms and companies. Common ranges include:

Low severity: $50–$200
Medium severity: $300–$1,000
High severity: $1,500–$5,000
Critical: $5,000–$20,000+

Beginners in Pakistan usually earn nothing during their first months. Those who become consistent hunters within one to two years often earn $10,000–$40,000 per year. Top-level researchers—rare but present—can exceed $80,000+ annually. These figures are entirely dependent on skill, methodology, and volume of valid findings.

Daily Work of a Bug Bounty Hunter

A typical day revolves around three major activities:

Reconnaissance: Mapping the target’s attack surface, discovering subdomains, endpoints, APIs, parameters, and assets. This phase consumes most of the time because strong recon directly increases the probability of unique findings.

Exploitation & Analysis: Testing for vulnerabilities such as access control issues, logic flaws, SSRF, misconfigurations, input validation errors, and API weaknesses.

Reporting: Preparing a clear, evidence-backed report with reproduction steps, screenshots, or videos. Well-written reports significantly improve acceptance rates.

Bug bounty work generally aligns with this pattern:
70% recon, 20% exploitation, 10% reporting.

Skills Required

Successful bug bounty hunting requires a strong foundation in web application security. The OWASP Top 10 (https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/) is a starting point, but deeper knowledge is essential—especially around access control vulnerabilities, logic flaws, API security, JavaScript analysis, and cloud-related misconfigurations.

Researchers must be proficient with Burp Suite (https://portswigger.net/burp) for request inspection, manipulation, fuzzing, and automation. Recon skills are equally critical: understanding DNS, CDNs, server behavior, and asset discovery tools. Reviewing JavaScript files for endpoints and clues is a key modern technique.

A basic understanding of Linux, networking, HTTP/HTTPS, authentication mechanisms, cookies/tokens, and backend workflows forms the technical foundation for real-world vulnerability discovery.

Where to Learn Bug Bounty (Trusted Resources with Explanations)

Bugcrowd University
https://github.com/bugcrowd/bugcrowd_university
A complete beginner-friendly training collection with slides, guides, videos, and labs. It explains recon, reporting, and common vulnerability categories with clarity.

PortSwigger Web Security Academy
https://portswigger.net/web-security
Industry-leading free training that covers everything from basic web hacking to advanced attack chains. Its hands-on labs are essential for mastering real exploitation.

Hacker101 CTF
https://ctf.hacker101.com
Created by HackerOne, this platform provides practical challenges that simulate real bug bounty environments, helping learners develop the right mindset.

TryHackMe
https://tryhackme.com
A guided learning platform ideal for beginners. It includes structured rooms on web exploitation, Burp Suite usage, API attacks, and modern vulnerability techniques.

HackTheBox
https://hackthebox.com
More advanced than TryHackMe, offering realistic challenges and difficult web applications that push your technical limits.

PentesterLab
https://pentesterlab.com
A premium but highly respected platform for deep, real-world exercises. It is especially strong for intermediate and advanced learners focusing on logic flaws and advanced exploitation.

Recommended Approach and Roadmap

Begin with fundamentals: learn how the web works, how servers handle requests, how DNS resolves, and how authentication flows operate. Then move to OWASP Top 10 and complete the PortSwigger Web Security Academy labs. After this, develop recon skills by studying DNS reconnaissance, subdomain enumeration, directory discovery, API mapping, and JavaScript analysis.

Once you have a solid base, move to real bug bounty programs. Start with public programs on HackerOne, Intigriti, and YesWeHack. Explore the application slowly, map the attack surface, and attempt small findings first. As you gain experience, refine your methodology, automate routine tasks, and focus on high-value categories like broken access control, logic flaws, and API vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

Bug bounty is a legitimate and rewarding field, but it carries no guarantees. It is driven entirely by skill, creativity, and persistence. The competition is global, but so are the opportunities. With a strong understanding of web security, a disciplined approach to recon, and consistent practice using the resources listed above, any motivated beginner can progress. Treat bug bounty as a long-term investment in skill development rather than a quick source of income, and you will see meaningful results over time.