How to play Bug bounty / security research
Someone willing to clear this gate: Deep security skill; zero capital; reputation and methodology matter Capital tier: no capital to start.
First dollar: Typical time-to-first-income on this board: ~1 yr. That is a planning number, not a promise.
Exact steps. Ship the smallest unit of paid value before you gold-plate.
Find vulnerabilities for bounty platforms (HackerOne, Bugcrowd) or contract pentests. Skill-gated, variable payouts.
Do the minimum that makes you legal and sellable: Deep security skill; zero capital; reputation and methodology matter. Do not gold-plate this step.
Publish or productize the smallest offer someone will pay for. One client, one listing, one paid user.
Repeat the smallest sale until the motion is boring. Track hours, CAC, and close rate. Kill vanity work.
If it works, templatize delivery and price. If the ceiling is low, ladder into a related deck on this board.
Related decks if this one is working or if you need a stronger wincon.
What you do on paper: Find vulnerabilities for bounty platforms (HackerOne, Bugcrowd) or contract pentests. Skill-gated, variable payouts.
Frequency: Tens of thousands of researchers; few full-time on bounties alone