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Top security researcher shares their bug bounty process

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    Loc Truong
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Top Security Researcher Shares Their Bug Bounty Process

Introduction

As Cybersecurity Awareness Month comes to a close, the GitHub Bug Bounty team is thrilled to spotlight another top‑performing researcher in our program: @dev‑bio. GitHub is committed to keeping the code that powers millions of projects safe, and our Bug Bounty Program is a key part of that mission—especially as we launch AI‑powered features like Copilot, the Copilot coding agent, and GitHub Spark.

The VIP Bounty Program

We audit the researchers in our public program to identify those who consistently demonstrate expertise and impact. These high‑performers receive an invitation to our exclusive VIP Bounty Program, which offers:

  • Early previews of beta products and features before public launch
  • Dedicated engagement with GitHub Bug Bounty staff and the engineers behind the features they’re testing 😄
  • Unique Hacktocat swag, including this year’s brand‑new collection

Learn more about the VIP program and how you can earn an invitation in our full blog post.

Spotlight: @dev‑bio

Background

@dev‑bio joined the Bug Bounty program by chance while working on a personal project. With a strong background in software engineering, they are naturally curious about how systems behave—especially when handling complex edge cases. That curiosity often leads them into deep rabbit holes and, eventually, impactful findings.

What Keeps Them Going

The thrill of revealing how seemingly minor issues can evolve into serious vulnerabilities is a major motivator. Demonstrating the real‑world impact of a small oversight feels incredibly rewarding.

Life Outside the Lab

A new father of two, @dev‑bio cherishes time with family and values the support of their partner, who provides uninterrupted hours for side projects. Living in Norway offers easy access to nature, and hiking, camping, and cross‑country skiing are favorite ways to recharge and gain perspective.

  • Reads write‑ups from other researchers to see new approaches and emerging vulnerabilities.
  • Stays ahead by exploring under‑researched areas.
  • Works as a security engineer focused on software supply‑chain security, researching gaps and developing mitigation solutions.

Tools and Workflows

  • Prefers writing custom tools over relying solely on off‑the‑shelf solutions; this deepens understanding and uncovers new research avenues.
  • Plans to release a toolkit for building offline graphs of GitHub organizations, with an extensible query suite to uncover misconfigurations and hidden attack paths.

Favorite Bug Classes

  • Injection‑related vulnerabilities
  • Subtle logical flaws and overlooked assumptions
  • Novel techniques for bypassing strict content‑security policies

Demonstrating how benign findings can chain together into significant impact is a particular passion, as these vulnerabilities often expose deeper design weaknesses.

Research Process

The most significant discoveries have been accidental, driven by curiosity rather than a rigid methodology. When something unusual is noticed, the process involves:

  1. Digging deeper and peeling back layers to understand the root cause.
  2. Documenting each step to map potential attack paths.
  3. Building a clear, comprehensive picture that supports further analysis and reporting.

Advice for Aspiring Bug Bounty Researchers

  • Don’t settle for a simple finding; dig deeper and explore its implications.
  • Understanding the bigger picture can turn seemingly benign issues into high‑impact vulnerabilities.

Connect with @dev‑bio

  • LinkedIn: [LinkedIn Profile]
  • Personal page: [Link] – where they’ll post interesting content in the near future.

Thank You

Thank you, @dev‑bio, for sharing your process and helping make GitHub, our products, and our customers more secure. Every submission to our bug bounty program strengthens the entire ecosystem. If this inspires you to hunt for bugs, feel free to report your findings through HackerOne.

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