This article in the series contains a look into effective reporting for organizations and researchers in Bug Bounty Programs (BBPs). The importance of responsible reporting in maintaining the integrity of these programs cannot be overstated. When security researchers discover vulnerabilities, they have a choice: they can either use that knowledge for personal gain or report the issue to the organization responsible for the affected system. In the case of BBPs, the latter is the responsible and ethical choice that is expected of a good security researcher.
By reporting vulnerabilities to the organization, researchers can help prevent malicious actors from exploiting the same vulnerabilities to cause harm to the company or its users. Additionally, by participating in a bug bounty program and following responsible disclosure guidelines, researchers can help ensure that their findings are addressed quickly and that the company can take necessary steps to protect its assets and users. Responsible reporting in a bug bounty program typically involves adhering to a set of guidelines provided by the organization that outlines the scope of the program, the expected behavior of researchers, and the process for submitting vulnerability reports.
These guidelines often require researchers to:
Report vulnerabilities promptly and confidentially to the organization
Avoid sharing any sensitive information about the vulnerability with others
Abide by the program’s rules and scope
Respect the privacy of users and data involved
Avoid attempting to exploit the vulnerability beyond what is necessary to prove its existence
Responsible reporting by security researchers is crucial to maintaining the integrity of these programs and ensuring that discovered vulnerabilities are addressed in a timely and efficient manner, which helps protect companies and users from harm.
Preparing the Report
Before reporting a bug in a bug bounty program, security researchers should consider taking the following steps to ensure that they are submitting a high-quality report that includes all the necessary information:
Reproduce the finding: Researchers should take the time to reproduce the bug they have found. This involves trying to recreate the steps that led to the bug’s discovery so that they can provide detailed information on how the issue can be triggered.
Gather information: While reproducing the issue, researchers should gather as much information as possible about the bug, including what part of the system it affects, how severe it is, and what the impact on the system may be. This information will help the organization better understand the issue and prioritize its response.
Document the steps: Researchers should document the steps they took to reproduce the issue, including any input that they provided and the expected and actual results. Clear and concise documentation can help the organization quickly identify and reproduce the issue.
Test in different environments: Researchers should test the bug in different environments to determine if it is a platform-specific issue or a more general one. This can help the organization understand the scope of the issue and determine which systems may be impacted.
Once researchers have gathered all the necessary information, they should create a well-written bug report that clearly outlines the issue they have found. The following best practices can help create a high-quality bug report:
Provide a clear and concise summary: The report should start with a summary that provides an overview of the bug, its impact, and how to reproduce it.
Include detailed steps to reproduce: The report should include detailed steps to reproduce the issue, including any input required and the expected and actual results.
Include screenshots and videos: Screenshots and videos can be extremely helpful in demonstrating the issue and can help the organization understand the severity of the bug.
Clearly document the impact: The report should clearly document the impact the bug can have on the system, including any potential security risks and how it could be exploited.
Include recommendations for remediation: If the researcher understands the exact fix, the report should include recommendations for remediation, including potential fixes or mitigations for the issue.
By following these steps and best practices, security researchers can help organizations quickly and effectively address the bugs they have found, contributing to a more secure online environment for everyone.
Reporting the Bug
Submitting a bug report typically involves using the communication channels provided by the bug bounty program. The specific details of the submission process can vary depending on the program, but typically it involves the following steps:
Find the appropriate contacts: Researchers should ensure that they are submitting their bug report through the correct reporting channel provided by the bug bounty program. This may include email, a web form, or a dedicated platform like HackerOne or Bugcrowd.
Provide a clear summary: The report should start with a clear and concise summary of the issue, including what part of the system is affected, the severity of the issue, and how it can be reproduced.
Include detailed steps to reproduce: The report should include detailed steps to reproduce the issue, including any input required and the expected and actual results.
Provide supporting evidence: Screenshots, videos, and logs can be helpful in demonstrating the issue and providing evidence to support the bug report.
Clearly document the impact: The report should clearly document the impact the bug can have on the system, including any potential security risks and how it could be exploited.
Include recommendations for remediation: The report should include recommendations for remediation, including potential fixes or mitigations for the issue.
When submitting a bug report, researchers should take care to ensure that the report is clear and concise. Poorly written bug reports can lead to delays in response times and make it more difficult for the organization to address the issue.
Here are some examples of a well-written and poorly written bug report:
Well-written bug report:
Title: Stored XSS vulnerability in the login form Summary: The login form on the website is vulnerable to a stored XSS attack. This can be triggered by entering a script in the password field.
Steps to reproduce:
Step 1. Go to the login page Step 2. Enter a valid username and a password containing the following script: <script>alert(‘XSS’);</script> Step 3. Click on the login button Step 4. The alert window will appear, indicating that the script has been executed
Impact: An attacker could use this vulnerability to steal user credentials or perform other malicious actions. Recommendations for remediation: The vulnerability can be fixed by sanitizing the input in the password field.
Poorly written bug report:
Title: Website hack Summary: The website is hacked. Steps to reproduce: Unknown. Impact: Unknown. Recommendations for remediation: Fix the website ASAP.
In general, researchers should strive to be as detailed and specific as possible when submitting bug reports, while also being clear and concise. This can help organizations quickly and effectively address the issues, leading to a more secure online environment for everyone.
Ethical Reporting Practices
When reporting bugs, it is important for researchers to keep in mind the ethical considerations surrounding their actions. Here are some key ethical points to consider:
Respecting the privacy of others: Researchers should avoid accessing or collecting data that is not necessary to demonstrate the vulnerability. If sensitive data is accidentally accessed, it should be deleted and not disclosed to anyone else.
Avoiding causing harm to the system: Researchers should not intentionally cause damage to the system or disrupt its normal operation. They should also avoid exploiting the vulnerability beyond what is necessary to demonstrate it.
Following the bug bounty program guidelines: Researchers should follow the rules and guidelines set out by the bug bounty program they are participating in, and respect any restrictions on the scope of testing or the types of vulnerabilities that can be reported.
Providing accurate and complete information: Researchers should provide complete and accurate information about the vulnerability to enable the organization to reproduce and verify the issue.
Engaging in responsible disclosure: Researchers should follow the principle of responsible disclosure, which involves providing the organization with sufficient time to fix the vulnerability before making it public. This allows the organization to protect their users from any potential harm that could result from the vulnerability.
Handling Responses and Rewards
When a bug report is submitted, it is the responsibility of the maintainers to evaluate the report and take the necessary steps to fix the vulnerability. Here are some key steps that researchers generally expect from the BBP maintainers during the response of a good report:
Acknowledge the report: The maintainers should acknowledge receipt of the report and confirm that it is being evaluated.
Verify the vulnerability: The maintainers should attempt to reproduce the vulnerability and verify that it is a genuine issue.
Prioritize and triage the vulnerability: The maintainers should evaluate the severity of the vulnerability and prioritize it accordingly, based on the potential impact on users and the system.
Communicate with the researcher: The maintainers should communicate with the researcher who submitted the bug report, keeping them informed of the progress of the evaluation and any necessary remediation steps.
Remediate the vulnerability: Once the vulnerability has been verified, the maintainers should take the necessary steps to remediate it, such as implementing a fix or mitigation.
Test the fix: The maintainers should test the fix to ensure that it effectively resolves the vulnerability and does not introduce any new issues.
Offer a reward: If the bug bounty program offers rewards, the maintainers should determine whether the researcher is eligible for a reward and offer it in a timely manner.
Conclusion
In order to communicate effectively with the researcher, the maintainers should be clear and concise in their messages, providing regular updates on the status of the vulnerability and the progress of the remediation effort. They should also be responsive to any questions or concerns raised by the researcher, and be willing to work collaboratively to resolve the issue.
If a reward is offered, the maintainers should handle it in a timely and professional manner, following the rules and guidelines set out by the bug bounty program. This may involve verifying the researcher’s identity and eligibility for the reward, and ensuring that the reward is paid promptly and securely.
Overall, responding to a bug report requires careful communication and collaboration between the researcher and the bug bounty program maintainers. By working together, they can effectively remediate vulnerabilities and improve the security of the system. Related Bug Bounty for beginners (Part 1): Utilizing OWASP to get into BBPs Bug Bounty for beginners (Part 2): Recon for Modern Bug Bounty Hunting
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