Top 10 Mistakes Beginner Bug Bounty Hunters Make (And How to Avoid Them)

Introduction

Starting your bug bounty journey can feel like diving into a labyrinth of tools, techniques, and terminology. Many fall into the same traps early on—but that’s good news. Why? Because you can learn from them and rise faster. Here's a list of the most common rookie mistakes, and more importantly—how to dodge them like a pro.

1. Ignoring the Scope

The Mistake: Attacking out-of-scope targets and getting banned.

Avoid It: Always read the program's scope and rules. Stick to what's listed. Out-of-scope bugs = zero reward (or worse: account suspension).

2. Chasing Complexity First

The Mistake: Going after SSRF chains or RCEs without understanding basic bugs.

Avoid It: Start with low-hanging fruit: XSS, IDOR, open redirects. These teach you critical concepts while still landing bounties.

 3. Not Understanding the Web

The Mistake: Using tools blindly without knowing what HTTP, cookies, or headers do.

Avoid It: Learn the basics of how the web works. Use tools like Burp Suite with intention, not just button-clicking.

4. Blindly Following Tutorials

The Mistake: Copy-pasting payloads or recon commands without understanding them.

Avoid It: Ask why a payload works. Break it down. Build your own toolchain by experimenting, not copying.

5. Poor Bug Reporting

The Mistake: Submitting a 2-sentence report with no reproduction steps or context.

Avoid It: Treat reports like storytelling. Include: what you found, how to reproduce it, the impact, and how it can be fixed.

6. Not Practicing Enough

The Mistake: Jumping into real targets too soon.

Avoid It: Sharpen your spells in safe environments—TryHackMe, PortSwigger, HackTheBox—before going live.

7. Relying on Automation Only

The Mistake: Running scripts like Subfinder, HTTPx, and Nuclei and calling it a day.

Avoid It: Combine automation with manual testing. Think like a human. Find things tools can’t.

8. Ignoring Recon Results

The Mistake: Collecting tons of subdomains but never analyzing them.

Avoid It: Quality over quantity. Explore each asset deeply. Read JS files, test parameters, hunt manually.

9. Getting Discouraged by “Duplicates”

The Mistake: Finding a bug, then seeing it’s already reported.

Avoid It: Learn from every duplicate. You’re on the right path. Keep refining your timing, tools, and techniques.

10. Not Taking Notes or Tracking Progress

The Mistake: Forgetting what you did, what worked, or how you did it.

Avoid It: Use Notion, Obsidian, or a simple markdown file to track your journey. This builds your second brain—and helps you learn faster.

Final Thoughts

Bug bounty hunting is a journey of persistence. You will mess up. You will get frustrated. But every mistake is a stepping stone to mastery. Learn fast, stay humble, and keep hunting.