How to Become a Bug Bounty Hunter in 2024?

Cybersecurity has been the main concern for so many companies that have to ensure their private data remains protected. However, despite great effort, hackers could always slip through the cracks or vulnerabilities that are present deep beneath the system.

Therefore, in order to find those vulnerabilities and conduct the proper safety measures, some big companies, like Microsoft, Facebook, or even Google are starting to recruit skillful individuals to do so and they are what we call Bug Bounty Hunters. This job is more than just cool-looking. It requires the hunters to actually have good skill in detecting the problems, while also keeping the information remain secret.

In this article, we want to share pieces of information about how to become a bug bounty hunter, in a step-by-step tutorial. Without further ado, let us start by first talking about the bug bounty hunter programs.

Bug Bounty Hunter Programs

Have you ever heard of these terms before? These programs are basically the same as job opportunities that are offered by businesses and organizations. It’s collaborative work where the companies can get their cybersecurity problems fixed, and the individuals may receive a great amount of compensation for their efforts.

The tasks to do in these programs are mostly about bug reporting and finding security vulnerabilities. The general idea of this bug-hunting task is to find the problem, along with the fixes, in the companies’ digital assets. So, when the product is released to the public, the users won’t have to deal with those terrible issues anymore.

Of course, bugs and issues are something that is common in digital assets, even when a deep vulnerability search has been done. So companies have to continuously check and maintain their assets in order to make users satisfied with their products.

Why Bug Bounty Hunters?

Some of you may ask, “Why use bug hunter services when companies have their own security teams?”. Most big businesses do have their own team to monitor and fix any bugs that may affect user experience.

However, when we’re talking about bigger companies, like Google or Facebook, they have to continuously check their digital assets, which is a task too big for their own teams. So hiring these “bug hunters”, it will make it easier for companies to find those tiny, almost-undetectable security problems in their network.

On the bug hunters’ side, this could also be an opportunity to promote their skills to get more exposure, and eventually more income in the future. So, it’s a win-win solution.

Is It Legal?

First, let us understand the legality of hacking. Hacking in general is fine. Anyone can make any hacking attempts these days, as the flow of information is getting faster and easier to access. However, what’s not okay is when you use it for malicious intent, like stealing other’s personal data for your gain, spreading malware and viruses, or other terrible things.

So, as long as you use it for good, there’s no problem to worry about. Remember to differentiate ethical hacking and bad hacking, they are two different things.

By using the above idea, bug hunting is legal, as long as you can follow the instructions and rules given by the employer. Any information you find during the process should be kept private. Crossing this line could prevent you from getting any projects in the future as you will be banned for spreading secret information. It’s a matter of secrecy that is highly respected here, so make sure you always respect it.

What Do Bug Bounty Hunters Do?

Bug hunters don’t just be connected to the employer. There’s an intermediary party that works between these hunters and the companies who need their services, which is the bug bounty program manager. This is the one who will decide whether your service is worth the payment or not.

Basically, it works in this way: the hunters will have to find any security vulnerabilities within the digital asset, or system, and then report any findings without disclosing any piece of information to someone else.

After sending the findings, the program manager will send you a check and instructions on how to withdraw the money. However, from start to finish, the bug hunter is not allowed to share any information with outside parties.

Can Bug Bounty Hunter Be a Lucrative Job?

Yes, people even consider it as a lucrative future job for seeking side income. The amount of income may vary depending on the complexity, and the employer’s decision, and for some people, doing this may provide a certain challenge for them to see how far they can go before the system security stops them.

There are so many examples of successful bug hunters who can achieve up to $100,000 per vulnerability. And, of course, this amount of fee for the service is only obtainable after giving such a great effort in finishing the job properly.

The first thing you need to do if you’re interested in this career path is to learn coding. Coding is really important these days, and it can provide you with initial basic knowledge of hacking. By honing your skills in these two things, you can get better and better at spotting system vulnerabilities.

There’s also a bug-hunting community, which you can also join anytime you want. A community like this is really important in case you want to seek new information on a more effective hacking method, or simply look for a solution to your trouble.

Step-by-Step to Become a Bug Bounty Hunter

Now, what should we do if we want to be bug hunters?

Well, the best thing you can do here is to make preparations. During the initial stage, use your time joining the communities that are continuously giving information about new vulnerabilities along with the exploits.

Aside from joining the community, you can also start learning about coding and hacking through different resources, such as books, online courses, or YouTube videos. Having the understanding of basic skills is actually essential for writing the exploit codes.

As each vulnerability may have different requirements, you have to figure out what the suitable exploit code to write. But, we know that it can be pretty overwhelming to learn about it for you who are probably first learning about the whole concept of bug hunting.

So to make it easier for you and many other beginners, we have prepared a step-by-step list which you can see right below:

1. Learn Coding

The very first thing you have to do is to learn how to code. Coding is essential in bug hunting as you need to work on the bug bounty programs, which require users to input certain important things, including the source code and any other details.

And as you’ll be dealing with the programs head-on, you also have to be familiar with how it works and how to exploit it. And the way you exploit the system is by using your exploit code. It may take a while to write your first exploit code, but as you learn, your skills can also progress better simultaneously.

You can take the first initial steps of learning how to code by reading coding or exploit books, and taking coding classes in your local community. By mastering even the basic programming skills, you are already one step forward.

After that, you can test your skills by building your own unique websites or programs using the knowledge you’ve mastered. Try to use popular frameworks, like Python Django, or Ruby On Rails to make it easier in case you’re dealing with some problems. As these frameworks are popular, finding the solutions in the community can be easier as well.

2. “Hunt” The Programs

After you are pretty confident with your programming and coding skills, you may start “hunting” the bug-hunting programs. The task, however, may be as hard as your first step in the beginning. There’s no such thing as the best bug-hunting program.

The higher payouts don’t necessarily mean better as the requirements for the programs will be tighter as well.

If this is your first time searching for bug-hunting programs, please know that it’s basically the same as looking for a job. It’s not that easy to land a job, you have to work for it. What makes it even harder is the fact that these programs are not available every day.

Most bug-hunting programs will be available on a monthly basis, meaning the competition is pretty fierce. Aside from the qualification, some programs also require the “hunters” to work on different types of platforms.

Some would require you to check their websites, whereas some of them also require you to check the mobile apps as well. It’s a different scenario every time, and you, as the hunter, will have to follow what is requested.

Other than the platforms, the bug-hunting programs can also be differentiated based on the categories. There are so many popular categories that are usually needed, such as IoT devices, operating systems, Cloud Services, and many others.

From these categories, the amount of payment, the number of reports, and the requirements are also different. So be sure to check this information as well.

In the bug hunting programs, many types of organizations may send their request, despite their size or kind of business. However, if you desire higher payment, then you should target larger corporations. Usually, they offer higher fees for the services but require tighter standards. If you’re not up to their standards, your chance to get picked will pretty slim.

3. Submit Your Application.

Once you’ve found the best program for you, then the next step is to submit your application. The methods here are generally similar to the usual job-searching processes. The first thing you have to create is a resume and cover letter. In them, tell employers why you can be a suitable candidate for the job.

On the other hand, you also need to prepare other things as well, including the proof and relevant documentation about your bug-hunting skills and experience. Also, don’t forget to put your personal information, including name, address, employment experience, and others.

Some employers would require you to have an account on their platform. So, before sending all the documentation mentioned above, don’t forget to do so as well. Simply visit their website and make an account using your actual information. Make it as professional as possible by not using any weird nicknames or aliases.

As for the last part, it’s better if you can provide two additional links to your previous projects. Make sure that one project effectively demonstrates how you can work on the vulnerabilities, and the other one demonstrates your knowledge about security best practices.

4. Wait for Review

Up to this point, you have done everything you could do. Now, it’s time to wait for their feedback. During this waiting period, don’t just lay around on your bed waiting for either good or bad news.

Instead, use the opportunity to check back the employer’s platform to see whether there’s something new or not. As notifications will be sent right to the platform, it’d be best for you to stay active for the time being.

If you can’t see anything updated for days, don’t lose hope just yet. The review process may take shorter or longer depending on the employer’s decision, so there’s nothing you can do about it. Just be patient, and always check the platform and your email. Sometimes, the employer requires you to send additional documents, so do it when asked.

5. Work and Get Paid

Once your application has been approved, congratulations! You’ve successfully beaten many other candidates for the work. And now, it’s getting more serious from here. Carefully follow the instructions given to you and do the work exactly as you are told.

After the work has finished and the work is approved, they will send the payments to you, either through PayPal, or other payment gateways. However, there’s one rule you need to know beforehand: the more severe the problems found, the lower your reward. With this in mind, prioritize which problem you want to work on, and skip the ones that wouldn’t give much money.

Conclusion

So that’s all we can tell about how to become a bug bounty hunter in 2024. As you can see, ad the job requires great analytical thought and skillful performance, you’ll have to hone your skills first by continuously learning about coding and the latest hacking methods.

There are a lot of places you can learn about Cybersecurity and practice, like Hack The Box, TryHackMe,… or enroll in bootcamps like BrainStation, Fullstack Academy,… and pay for the course however we at IndexCyber offer free updated practical Cybersecurity courses for FREE to help you get a job, advance your career, become an independent [ethical] hacker or join bug bounty programs.

For those aspiring to be a bug hunter, penetration tester, or ethical hacker, IndexCyber offers deep and thorough courses that can be helpful to hone your skills. You may also learn any topic you love in the wide cybersecurity field. If you wish to start, there’s nothing better than now!