No expensive courses. No gatekeeping. Just real skills, free resources, and honest advice from the trenches.
What nobody tells you when you're starting out in bug bounty
Everything you need is available for free. PortSwigger Academy, YouTube tutorials, documentation. Save your money for a good setup.
Months, not days. The hunters you see earning big started years ago. Focus on learning, not earning—at first.
Most of your time will be spent learning new techniques, reading writeups, and practicing in labs. That's normal.
Someone's $10k bounty doesn't diminish your $50 one. Everyone's journey is different. Celebrate your wins.
Getting a duplicate hurts, but it means you're finding real bugs. Learn from it, refine your approach, move faster next time.
1 hour daily beats 10 hours once a week. Build the habit. Show up every single day, even when motivation fades.
What separates successful hunters from the rest
Pick ONE program. Learn it inside out. Map every endpoint, understand every feature. Depth beats breadth. Don't hop between targets.
HackerOne Hacktivity is your daily newspaper. Read disclosed reports every single day. Understand what gets paid, how it's written, what the impact is.
Document everything. Every technique, every bypass, every failed attempt. Your notes are your second brain. Use Notion, Obsidian, or plain text.
Study how others found bugs. Pentester Land, Medium, personal blogs. Understand the thought process, not just the payload.
New programs look shiny. Resist the urge to jump. Scattered effort = zero results. Finish what you started. Master before moving.
One well-written report beats ten rushed ones. Understand the impact, explain clearly, provide solid PoC. Make triagers' lives easy.
N/A? Duplicate? Info? Ask why. Understand the reasoning. Every rejection teaches you something. Keep a lessons-learned log.
Don't copy checklists blindly. Build your own based on what works for YOU. Test it, refine it, evolve it. Make it yours.
Follow this path from zero to hunter—all with free resources
Understand how the internet works. HTTP/HTTPS, DNS, TCP/IP, and web technologies are your foundation.
Learn how web apps break. OWASP Top 10 is your bible. Understand each vulnerability class deeply.
Recon is 80% of the job. Learn to find hidden subdomains, endpoints, and attack surface others miss.
XSS, SQLi, SSRF, IDOR, CSRF—learn to find and exploit them. PortSwigger Academy is your best friend here.
Learn your tools inside out. Burp Suite is essential. But also know when to build your own.
Mobile security, API testing, source code review, advanced recon. Never stop leveling up.
Theory without practice is useless. CTFs, labs, and real programs. Get your hands dirty.
Your weapons of choice—most are free and open source
The #1 web vulnerability scanner. Community edition is free.
EssentialModern, fast alternative to Burp. Beautiful GUI.
ProxyHigh-performance vulnerability scanner with templates.
ScannerNetwork discovery and security auditing.
ReconAutomated SQL injection and database takeover.
ExploitationFast subdomain enumeration tool.
ReconAdvanced network mapping and asset discovery.
ReconWorld's most used penetration testing framework.
FrameworkKnowledge without practice is useless. Get your hands dirty.
Free, comprehensive web security training. Labs for every vulnerability type. This should be your first stop.
FreeRealistic machines and challenges. Great for all skill levels.
FreemiumBeginner-friendly with guided learning paths.
FreemiumHackerOne's official CTF. Earn private invites!
FreeHands-on exercises for web security.
FreemiumFind upcoming CTF competitions worldwide.
FreeThese hunters share real knowledge. Follow them, study their work.
Streams live hacking, beginner-friendly content, created Resources for Beginners repo
High-quality YouTube content, motivational, focuses on mindset and methodology
Academic approach, great for beginners, "Zero to Hero" series
Recon god. His methodology talks are legendary. Must-watch for recon.
Tool creator (waybackurls, gf, httprobe). Learn from his simple, powerful tools.
Platform account with great tips, LevelUp conferences, and hunter spotlights
Deep technical writeups, innovative attack chains, creative exploitation
Great writeups on complex vulns, API security specialist
Great at chains, hosts Bug Bounty Podcast, shares methodologies
Critical Thinking Podcast, advanced techniques, automation
Weekly challenges, educational content, great community
Insane API/auth bugs, massive payouts, detailed blog posts
The best free resources. No paid courses needed.
THE gold standard. Free labs for every vulnerability. Complete this before anything else.
Start Learning →Comprehensive testing methodology. Reference this when building your own approach.
Read Guide →Massive wiki of hacking techniques. Bookmark this. You'll use it constantly.
Browse Wiki →Curated collection of the best bug bounty writeups. Study these religiously.
Read Writeups →Real vulnerabilities, real reports. See what actually gets paid.
View Hacktivity →Cutting-edge research from the Burp Suite team. New techniques published here first.
Read Research →Curated list specifically for people just starting out. Start here.
View Repo →Massive payload repository for every vulnerability type. Essential reference.
Get Payloads →The wordlist collection. Usernames, passwords, directories, subdomains—everything.
Get SecLists →Curated list of programs, tools, writeups, and resources.
View List →Complete Bug Bounty course with live lectures. More classes being added regularly.
Watch Now →Comprehensive course covering everything from basics to advanced.
Watch Now →Deep technical content. CTF walkthroughs, exploit development, security research.
Watch Now →CTFs, malware analysis, and security tutorials. Great for building fundamentals.
Watch Now →Hack The Box walkthroughs. Learn methodology by watching a pro work.
Watch Now →Justin Gardner and Joel Margolis discuss techniques, news, and interviews.
Listen Now →Remember why you started
"The only way to become a master is to stay a student."
Every challenge, every bounty, and every setback is an opportunity to learn something new.
"Exploits are hidden in plain sight—find the gaps, and you'll find the rewards."
Most people stop just before they find that critical vulnerability. Keep going when others quit!
"If it was easy, everyone would do it."
It's a battle of wits, and only the most persistent win.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."