Skip to content

Repository files navigation

Bug Bounty Writeups — Malik Hettige, 17

Writeups from my bug bounty hunting practice and live findings. Focus: IDOR, broken access control, authentication, business logic as foundation for now.

What's in here

  • portswigger-labs/ — PortSwigger Web Security Academy writeups, organized by vulnerability category.
  • Hack The Box Academy — Academy module notes and hands-on labs.
  • tryhackme/ — Web Fundamentals and web security learning notes.
  • pentesterlab/ — PentesterLab exercise writeups and notes.
  • overthewire/ — Linux and command-line challenge writeups.
  • burp-suite-certified-practitioner/ — Exam preparation notes, labs, and methodology.
  • bug-hunter-skill-progression/ — Personal roadmap, checklists, and progress tracking.
  • random-lessons/ — Security concepts, research notes, and miscellaneous documentation.
  • writeup-template.md — Standard template used for documenting writeups.
  • README.md — Repository overview and structure.
  • LICENSE — MIT License for this repository.
  • .gitignore — Excludes unnecessary files from version control.

Vulnerability Focus (the foundation)

Learning paths from PortSwigger, tiered

Priority Path Why it matters here
P0 HTTP Request Smuggling Direct foundation under CRLF desync
P0 Authentication Session/identity mechanics under Stage 2
P0 Business logic vulnerabilities Stage 5
P0 Server-side template injection Direct foundation under blind SSTI/RCE
P1 SQL injection, especially the blind techniques This is the actual intellectual root of both the SSTI paper and the ORM-Leak exfil technique — error-based/boolean-based oracle-hunting is one skill applied twice
P1 Server-side prototype pollution RCE fallback path
P1 OAuth authentication Identity-flow foundation that transfers conceptually toward SAML, even though SAML itself isn't in Academy
P1 JWT Token/identity foundation, connects to my existing playbook material
P2 Web cache poisoning Pairs naturally with smuggling
P2 SSRF Cloud/internal pivoting — matches interests I've already shown
P2 Insecure deserialization General "reach RCE through object handling" pattern, complements the RCE course already in my Notion

Tracking pipeline

  • PortSwigger Research — I check this at least once a month to stay current with new web security research.
  • PortSwigger Research RSS — I keep this in a feed reader so I don't rely on remembering to check manually.
  • Top 10 Web Hacking Techniques of 2025 — I read the entire list, including the rejected nominees at the bottom, to see what techniques researchers are exploring.
  • r/websecurityresearch — I search this subreddit directly for community research, techniques, and discussions.

Class-Specific Primary / Foundational Reading

  • Request Smuggling: I read Kettle's original 2019 HTTP Desync Attacks research before moving on to the 2025/2026 papers. I treat it as the conceptual foundation.
  • SSTI: I read Kettle's original 2015 Server-Side Template Injection: RCE for the Modern Web App before moving on to the later research.
  • Prototype Pollution: I keep Gareth Heyes' Server-side prototype pollution: Black-box detection without the DoS as my reserve research path.
  • SAML: I study OWASP's SAML Security Cheat Sheet and the SAML Raider Burp extension documentation.
  • ORM-Leak: I read Django's and Prisma's official query/filter documentation first so I understand correct filter behavior before studying how it can be abused.

Execution Plan

  • This week: I join one CTF team through CTFtime and publish my Django-lab work as a short public writeup, even if it's rough. I'm building my connections track alongside my technical development.
  • Next 2 weeks: I build and test the ORM-Leak lab on my Django environment, starting with the filter-driven endpoint.
  • Ongoing until January: I continue VDP hunting for live experience and reputation, while studying advanced vulnerability-chain research alongside it rather than replacing hands-on hunting.

Platforms

  • Bugcrowd (active from January 2027)
  • HackerOne (active from January 2027)
  • Intigriti (active from January 2027)

Contact