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How did you get started with bug hunting?I ventured into bug hunting towards the end of 2019 after deciding to test vulnerabilities found during penetration tests on a bug bounty platform.&nbsp;What are the most memorable vulnerabilities you've discovered?The ones that truly tested my perseverance and skills stand out the most.&nbsp;How much time do you dedicate to bug hunting each month?In 2023, I found myself bug hunting in bursts—typically 3–4 weeks each quarter, aligning with various platform events or when my schedule lightened up.&nbsp;What tools do you usually use for bug hunting?BurpSuite is my go-to tool, I use it 99% of the time.&nbsp;Any advice for those new to bug hunting?I've noticed many newcomers dive into cybersecurity lacking a solid foundation. Mastering the basics first—like programming, operating systems, networks, and protocols—is crucial.&nbsp;Choose your path and start blending practice with theory early.<a href="https://portswigger.net/web-security"> Portswigger</a> is an excellent resource for this approach, allowing you to tackle practical tasks immediately after learning the theory.&nbsp;Initially, focus on your passion rather than profit. If you truly enjoy the process, everything will fall into place.

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— <a href="https://portswigger.net/web-security">PortSwigger</a>: a platform with free educational materials— <a href="https://book.hacktricks.xyz/">HackTricks</a>: a methodology of penetration tests with lifehacks— <a href="https://hackerone.com/hacktivity/overview">HackerOne</a>: breakdown and description of current vulnerabilities

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— <a href="https://youtu.be/5lf9W1whTbs?si=2N5oFcuLNKNtGb2S">SPbCTF. Black box on the web</a>— <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmJnUqFgaK8">Ivan Rumak. Hunting for XSS vulnerabilities</a>— <a href="https://youtu.be/XNwpzNNiWzE?si=S665qIJpXMK1bR4M">Ramazan Ramazanov. API security testing: cases studies, tools, and tips</a>— <a href="https://youtu.be/Sb5oWrg4q9k?si=LFf88OdhL0gVnUZg">Anatoly Ivanov. How to search for bugs on bug bounty platforms without losing your mind</a>— <a href="https://youtu.be/qECRjlw7590?si=uF_7FbcJ8fqeX6TV">Ramazan Ramazanov. Bug hunting: case studies, tools, and tips</a>

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Head of External Penetration Testing at DeteAct, 2023 Standoff Bug Bounty leader, winner of Standoff Hacks in Sochi, and an avid bug hunter who also enjoys biking, scooting, watching TV series, and indulging in both reading and audiobooks.

Ramazan Ramazanov

Why is a bug bounty program important for your company?&nbsp;&nbsp;A bug bounty program allows us to quickly identify and fix vulnerabilities, enhancing the reliability and security of our systems while also strengthening customer trust.&nbsp;&nbsp;What advice would you give to companies that are just planning to launch a bug bounty program?&nbsp;I recommend starting with a clear definition of the testing scope and participation rules, investing in effective submission management, and ensuring transparent and prompt feedback for researchers.&nbsp;&nbsp;In your opinion, how will bug bounty programs impact the future of the cybersecurity industry?&nbsp;&nbsp;Bug bounty programs will play a key role in raising security standards, fostering knowledge exchange, and creating more resilient protection systems on a global scale.&nbsp;

— Bug Bounty Hunting Essentials — A practical guide for both beginner and experienced bug hunters.&nbsp;&nbsp;— The Web Application Hacker's Handbook — An in-depth analysis of web vulnerabilities and methods for detecting them.&nbsp;

— &nbsp;YouTube channels Bugcrowd and HackerOne, which regularly publish interviews and case study videos.&nbsp;&nbsp;— &nbsp;Recordings from DEF CON and Black Hat conferences, covering cybersecurity and bug bounty topics.&nbsp;

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Clearly define the testing scope — set boundaries and specify which systems researchers can access.&nbsp;&nbsp;Develop transparent rules — clearly outline participation conditions, report evaluation criteria, and reward policies.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ensure prompt feedback — respond quickly to reported vulnerabilities and maintain communication with researchers.

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Timofey Chernykh

When and why did you first become interested in hacking?&nbsp; Even before I transitioned to information security in 2008, I was always fascinated by understanding how different systems work from the inside.&nbsp; What tools and programs do you use in your work?&nbsp; For my primary job, I use a variety of security tools, mainly developed by Positive Technologies. For my hobbies, I mostly rely on custom tools, but some popular ones I use include BloodHound, Rubeus, and Cobalt Strike. What skills are essential for a successful career in cybersecurity?&nbsp; As a team lead, strong communication skills are crucial for organizing processes effectively. For beginners, persistence, determination, and a solid foundation in IT and information security are the most important. How do you keep your skills up to date?&nbsp; By staying actively involved in processes at all levels. What qualities are most important for a successful ethical hacker?&nbsp; Patience, focus, and strong foundation of knowledge. &nbsp;

Don't jump straight into reading advanced literature or forums—start by building a strong foundation of knowledge. Once you have that, choose a specific area to focus on (<a href="https://pauljerimy.com/security-certification-roadmap/">Paul Jerimy's roadmap</a> is a good guide). After that, practice is key, and there are plenty of great platforms available to help you.

<a href="https://ippsec.rocks/">Videos by IPPSEC</a><a href="https://youtu.be/lronBF1eRBQ?feature=shared">Video about hackers breaching large companies</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@_JohnHammond">John Hammond's YouTube channel</a>&nbsp;

Start by deciding on your area of focus, then take specialized courses or read books related to that field. For infrastructure pentesting, I recommend courses like RTO and CRTO, as well as training platforms like HackTheBox and TryHackMe.

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CISO at NefteChemService, Standoff 365 achievement: team captain of the only six-time champion team at Standoff.

Main areas of work: managing information security at an industrial enterprise. Outside of work: leading a red team and a pentest team, Standoff, red teaming, pentesting

Timur Moldaliev

When and why did you first become interested in hacking? From an early age, I was drawn to fundamental questions and enjoyed solving problems in as many creative ways as possible. I first realized passwords could be cracked when I got access to the internet back in school. Around that time, I got into Counter-Strike 1.6 and learned about cheats for the game, which reinforced my belief that there are always unconventional ways to achieve a desired result. &nbsp;What tools and programs do you use in your work? I use a wide variety of tools. For security assessments, I mostly use Burp Suite, Acunetix, Nessus, and various Kali Linux utilities. For red teaming, I use either a custom-built or commercial C2 server, along with a mix of custom, sophisticated tools and simpler tools designed to mimic user behavior naturally. &nbsp;What skills are essential for a successful career in cybersecurity? I believe persistence, passion for your work, and strong communication skills are key to a successful career in any field, including cybersecurity. &nbsp;How do you keep your skills up to date? When I find myself buried under too many management tasks, I turn to a cyberrange or vulnboxes. I also make it a point to stay hands-on, not just as a leader but as a senior member of the team. &nbsp;What qualities are most important for an ethical hacker?<ul><li>Understanding the logic and structure of the system being tested. This requires extensive knowledge and perspective.</li><li>Being useful. Many beginners get a thrill from finding bugs—and that's great—but it's important to remember the business context. The real value lies in clearly explaining the impact of a vulnerability and how to fix it in a way that makes sense to the client.</li><li>Knowing when to stop. Hackers are often overzealous. Sometimes it's better to take a break, step back, and think things through instead of pulling an all-nighter, making a careless mistake, and getting caught by the blue team. &nbsp;</li></ul>

<ul><li>Master the basics: build a strong understanding of networks, operating systems (especially Linux and Windows), and the principles of information security.</li><li>Practice over theory: use virtual labs like HackTheBox, TryHackMe, and PentesterLab, or participate in cyberranges to develop your skills.&nbsp;</li><li>Study both offensive and defensive security: a good cybersecurity specialist knows how to attack, but also how to defend.&nbsp;</li><li>Learn to automate: knowledge of Python or Bash will make your work significantly easier.&nbsp;</li><li>Stay informed: follow blogs, accounts of industry experts on X (former Twitter), attend conferences and meetups.&nbsp;</li><li>Earn certifications: certifications like OSCP, CRTP, and PNPT will help structure your knowledge and validate your skills.&nbsp;</li><li>Don't be afraid to try: participate in CTF competitions, hunt for bugs in bug bounty programs, and practice with real-world scenarios.</li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="https://youtube.com/@_johnhammond">YouTube channel of John Hammond</a>: a cybersecurity expert known for CTF walkthroughs and practical hacking scenarios.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://youtube.com/@tcmsecurityacademy">The Cyber Mentor</a> (YouTube): an educational channel by TCM Security.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://youtube.com/@hackersploit">HackerSploit</a> (YouTube): tutorials on ethical hacking and cybersecurity.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://youtube.com/@hak5">Hak5</a> (YouTube): a channel and community focused on hacker gadgets and cybersecurity research.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://defcon.org/">DEF CON</a> and <a href="https://www.blackhat.com/">Black Hat</a> conferences: annual hacker conferences with recordings available online.&nbsp;</li><li>Community and conference materials: many free resources are available, such as webinars from SANS and Black Hills Information Security, OWASP materials, and free university courses on platforms like Coursera and edX. Communities like Red Team Village and OWASP often share workshop recordings and lectures. Many of these resources are free and can benefit both beginners (for example, by teaching the basics of secure coding) and experienced professionals (by providing analyses of complex attacks).&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://darknetdiaries.com/">Darknet Diaries</a> (podcast): while not a video, this podcast provides fascinating real-world stories of hacks.</li></ul>

<ul><li>Peter Kim. The Hacker Playbook 2: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing (2015). A practical guide to basic pentesting techniques, focusing on penetration testing methodology. The next book in the series dwells on red team strategies.&nbsp;</li><li>Peter Kim. The Hacker Playbook 3: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing (2018). A follow-up focused on more advanced attacks and red team scenarios.&nbsp;</li><li>Jon Erickson. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation (2nd ed., 2008). A classic book on the "art of exploitation," exploring unconventional approaches to complex security problems and teaching you to think as a hacker. Erickson teaches programming in C from a hacker's perspective, showing how to search for vulnerabilities and write exploits. Despite being over a decade old, this book is still highly relevant for understanding vulnerability exploitation.&nbsp;</li><li>Dafydd Stuttard, Marcus Pinto. The Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws (2nd ed., 2011). A definitive guide to web application security testing.&nbsp;</li><li>Red Team Field Manual (2014): a handy pocket guide for red team professionals. Instead of being a traditional manual, it's more of a concise cheat sheet filled with commands and techniques for penetration testing scenarios.&nbsp;</li><li>PortSwigger Web Security Academy: a free online academy created by the developers of Burp Suite for learning web hacking. It includes theoretical educational content, interactive labs, and video tutorials on all major types of web vulnerabilities. The academy is regularly updated to include the latest attacks and techniques, making it a dynamic follow-up to the renowned The Web Application Hacker's Handbook. An excellent resource for learning web application security on your own—covering everything from SQL injection and XSS to SSRF and deserialization. &nbsp;</li></ul>

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Red Team Lead, captain of the legendary Cult team. I also complete challenges on the online cyberrange and occasionally submit bugs for the Standoff Bug Bounty program.

Main areas of work: leading a red team and conducting security assessments.

Hobbies: flatland snowboarding, enduro, longboarding, traveling around Russia, and enjoying activities that involve fine motor skills—anything from soldering to cross-stitching.

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