Why Small Websites Are the New Bug Bounty Goldmine 💎 -

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Let me tell you a hard truth about bug bounty 👇

Most hackers waste months attacking Google, Meta, Apple, Shopify…
Submitting duplicates…
Getting rejected…
Burning out.

Meanwhile, a quiet hacker is making money 💰
Not because they’re elite.
But because they’re smart.

💡 Small websites are the real bug bounty goldmine.

Low competition.
Weak security.
Old tech.
Logic flaws everywhere.

This is the guide I wish someone gave me earlier — written like a hacker explaining things to a friend ☕🧑‍💻

🧠 What Are “Small Websites” Exactly?

Let’s define the targets clearly.

✅ Small websites usually have:

1–10 developers (sometimes 1 dev doing everything 😬)
WordPress, Laravel, Django, PHP, or custom frameworks
No security team
No pentesting budget
Fast feature shipping, slow patching
Poor security awareness

❌ Not small websites:

Big tech companies
Fortune 500
Companies with mature AppSec teams

🎯 Hackers win where defenders are weak.

🔥 Why Small Websites Are Bug Bounty Goldmines

1️⃣ Less Competition = Higher Success Rate 🏆

Big programs:

10,000+ hackers
Every endpoint already tested
Same bugs reported years ago

Small websites:

Sometimes zero hackers
Bugs sit unreported for months or years
You’re often the first person testing

📊 Visualization: Competition vs Opportunity

Big Company      ██████████████
Small Website    ██
Your Chances     🚀🚀🚀

2️⃣ Weak Security Practices 😵‍💫

Small teams prioritize:

Shipping features
SEO
Marketing
Client deadlines

Security often means:

❌ No code review
❌ No access control testing
❌ No WAF
❌ No monitoring

Real example 💥

A startup stored AWS keys inside frontend JavaScript.
No rotation. No monitoring.

Result:

Sensitive data exposure
Cloud misuse risk
$500 bounty + reputation boost

3️⃣ Old Tech = Easy Bugs 🕸️

Small websites often run:

Outdated WordPress plugins
Old PHP versions
Legacy admin panels
Copy-pasted authentication logic

Common vulnerabilities 💎

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🔎 Recon on Small Websites (Where Money Is Made)

🧠 Recon is 90% of bug bounty. Exploitation is 10%.

🔹 Step 1: Finding Small Targets

Google Dorks

site:.com “powered by wordpress”
site:.in “admin login”

Bug Bounty Platforms

New programs
Private programs
Low-submission programs

OSINT Sources

IndieHackers
AngelList
Crunchbase
SaaS directories

📌 SEO keywords: cybersecurity, recon, OSINT, bug bounty

🔹 Step 2: Subdomain Enumeration 🧩

subfinder -d target.com
amass enum -d target.com

📊 Visualization: Attack Surface

target.com
dev.target.com     <-- vulnerable
test.target.com    <-- exposed
admin.target.com   <-- jackpot

🔹 Step 3: Directory & File Discovery 📂

dirsearch -u https://target.com -e php,txt,bak

Look for:

/admin
/backup
/old
/uploads
/test

🔹 Step 4: Parameter Discovery 🔬

arjun -u https://target.com/profile

Hidden parameters:

user_id
role
is_admin
debug

💡 Hidden parameters = broken logic

🧬 Advanced Recon: JavaScript Mining 🕷️

Small websites leak secrets in JS all the time.

katana -u https://target.com -jc -jsl

Look for:

Hidden API endpoints
Debug flags
Admin routes
Tokens & secrets

fetch(”/api/admin/getUsers?debug=true”)

🔥 Hidden admin APIs = instant goldmine

🧠 Advanced Authorization & Logic Bugs

🔥 Broken Access Control (Most Underrated Bug)

POST /api/changeRole
{
  “user_id”: 102,
  “role”: “admin”
}

No role check?
💥 Privilege escalation

📊 Visualization

User → API → No Validation → Admin 😈

🔁 Business Logic Bugs (High Payout, Low Noise)

Examples:

Coupon reuse
Free trial reset
Price manipulation
Payment bypass
Replay attacks

💡 Example:

Add item (₹999)
Intercept request
Change price → ₹1
Checkout succeeds

💰 High impact, high reward

🧨 Advanced File Upload Attacks

Bypass tricks:

shell.php.jpg
shell.phtml
shell.php%00.jpg

Metadata Injection

exiftool -Comment=’<?php system($_GET[”cmd”]); ?>’ image.jpg

Upload → execute → RCE 😈

🌐 Host Header & Cache Poisoning

curl -H “Host: evil.com” https://target.com

Impact:

Password reset poisoning
Cache poisoning
Account takeover

🔥 Rare + advanced = strong reports

🔑 API Hacking (Modern Small-Site Goldmine)

Test for:

Missing authentication
IDOR
Rate limit bypass
Mass assignment

{
  “email”: “test@test.com”,
  “isAdmin”: true
}

If backend trusts input → admin access 💀

🔗 Bug Chaining: Turning Low → Critical

Example Chain:

Info disclosure → admin email
Password reset → no rate limit
Token brute force
Admin takeover

🧠 Small sites are perfect for chaining

🤖 Automation (Use Smartly)

ffuf -u https://target.com/page?FUZZ=test -w params.txt

Tools help scale recon — thinking finds bugs.

⚠️ Don’t spam. Small sites notice quickly.

🕵️ Advanced OSINT: Know Your Target

Check:

GitHub repos
Job listings
LinkedIn profiles
StackOverflow posts

Job post:

“Looking for WordPress developer”

💥 Translation: WordPress bugs incoming

📉 Why Small Companies Pay Faster 💰

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Many small companies:

Invite private testing
Pay repeat bounties
Offer freelance work

🧪 Real Case Study: $0 → First Bounty

🎯 Target: Small SaaS
⏱️ Time: 2 weeks

Steps:

Found /dev subdomain
Discovered /backup.sql
Exposed database
Responsible disclosure

💰 Result:

$500 payout
Resume boost
Confidence 📈

🧠 Pro Hacker Habits

✔️ Read responses carefully
✔️ Break flows, not inputs
✔️ Test edge cases
✔️ Focus on logic bugs
✔️ Write professional reports

✍️ Reporting Tips (Increase Payouts)

Include:

Clear reproduction steps
Business impact
Screenshots
Fix suggestions

💡 Good reports = higher rewards

🛒 Recommended Products

If you’re serious about OSINT + bug bounty, these resources will help you level up much faster:

📂 Hidden Directories & Files Cheat Sheet

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/hdfcheetsheet

When fuzzing without a good wordlist is like hacking blind — this cheat sheet gives you patterns that have historically led to bugs.

🔍 Recon Cheat Sheet (Targeted for Bug Bounty & OSINT)

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/reconcheatsheet

Your recon game plan in one place:

Step-by-step process
Tool chaining workflows
Mistakes to avoid

Perfect for those starting out or trying to systemize OSINT.

🌐 Subdomain Takeover Playbook

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/subdomain

Some of the highest paying bugs come from forgotten subdomains — this guide shows you exactly how to spot them.

🧰 Ultimate Bug Bounty Toolkit

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/ultimatetoolkit

A compilation of must-have tooling and setups used by pros — including config snippets, automated pipelines, and tried-and-true defaults.

🔑 Hidden API Endpoints Guide

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/hiddenapiendpoints

Screenshots often reveal API patterns — this guide teaches you how to mine them for bugs.

🤖 AI Prompts for Hackers & Recon

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/aiprompts

AI isn’t just for OCR — use smart prompts to:

Generate payloads
Interpret screenshot text
Explain output
Draft reports

🧠 Best AI Tools for Hackers & Security Pros

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/BestAITools

A curated list of AI tools that actually help in recon and OSINT — no fluff.

📘 Hacker’s Recon Guide (Beginner → Pro)

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/hackersreconguide

If OSINT feels overwhelming, this is your roadmap from zero to OSINT mastery.

💻 Mastering C++ for Hackers & Engineers

👉 https://thehackerslog.gumroad.com/l/masteringcpp

Going deeper into exploits often requires low-level knowledge — this guide helps cement that foundation.

🧰 Tools Mentioned

Subfinder — https://github.com/projectdiscovery/subfinder
Amass — https://github.com/owasp-amass/amass
Nuclei — https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei
Dirsearch — https://github.com/maurosoria/dirsearch
Arjun — https://github.com/s0md3v/Arjun
Katana — https://github.com/projectdiscovery/katana
FFUF — https://github.com/ffuf/ffuf
Burp Suite —

https://portswigger.net

🚀 Final Thoughts: Hack Smart, Not Hard

Big companies look shiny ✨
Small websites pay silently 💰

If you want:

Your first bug bounty
Faster learning
Real-world hacking skills
Confidence as a hacker

👉 Small websites are your playground.

📢 Call to Action

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The Hacker’s Log

Cybersecurity, hacking, AI, business, and tech insights. Join 600+ subscribers and 2,000+ readers with 30K+ monthly views. Free resources and community access included

By Vipul Sonule

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