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Practical Bug Bounty Hunting: Finding API Leaks, PII Exposure, and Password Reset Vulnerabilities
Introduction
Bug bounty hunting is often associated with finding critical vulnerabilities such as remote code execution, SQL injection, and account takeover. However, not every valid security finding needs to be highly complex.
Many security researchers discover vulnerabilities by identifying exposed API credentials, sensitive customer information, and weaknesses in authentication workflows. These issues may appear simple, but their impact can be significant when they expose confidential data or allow unauthorized access.
A practical approach is to focus on two areas:
- Reconnaissance and information exposure: Finding accidentally exposed API secrets and personally identifiable information (PII).
- Authentication security testing: Identifying weaknesses in password reset mechanisms, one-time passwords (OTPs), and token validation.
AI-assisted tools can also help researchers analyze large collections of files and URLs more efficiently.
This guide explains these techniques, how to test them responsibly, and what makes a finding reportable.
