⚠️ AUTHORIZED USE ONLY This skill is for educational purposes or authorized security assessments only. You must have explicit, written permission from the system owner before using this tool. Misuse of this tool is illegal and strictly prohibited.
Mandatory confirmation gate Before running any command that probes, exploits, changes, persists on, extracts data from, or attempts credential access against a target:
- Ask the user to state the exact target URL, IP, account, or resource.
- Ask the user to confirm written authorization and the permitted scope.
- Show the exact command(s) and explain their expected effect.
- Wait for explicit confirmation in the current conversation.
Without that confirmation, remain read-only and provide defensive guidance only. Prefer a sandbox, disposable VM, or controlled lab.
WEB2 RECON PIPELINE
Full asset discovery from nothing to a prioritized URL list ready for hunting.
SETUP (one-time)
# 1. Set your Chaos API key (get free key at chaos.projectdiscovery.io)
export CHAOS_API_KEY # then set your ProjectDiscovery Chaos API key as the value
# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc for persistence:
echo 'export CHAOS_API_KEY # then set your ProjectDiscovery Chaos API key as the value' >> ~/.zshrc
# 2. Update nuclei templates (run weekly)
nuclei -update-templates
# 3. Configure subfinder with API keys for more sources
mkdir -p ~/.config/subfinder
cat > ~/.config/subfinder/config.yaml << 'EOF'
# Get free keys at: virustotal.com, securitytrails.com, censys.io, shodan.io
virustotal: [YOUR_VT_KEY]
securitytrails: [YOUR_ST_KEY]
censys_apiid: YOUR_CENSYS_ID
censys_secret: YOUR_CENSYS_SECRET
shodan: [YOUR_SHODAN_KEY]
EOF
# 4. Verify all tools installed
which subfinder httpx dnsx nuclei katana waybackurls gau dalfox ffuf anew gf interactsh-client
THE 5-MINUTE RULE
If a target shows nothing interesting after 5 minutes of recon, move on. Don't burn hours on dead surface.
5-minute kill signals:
- All subdomains return 403 or static marketing pages
- No API endpoints visible in URLs
- No JavaScript bundles with interesting endpoint paths
- nuclei returns 0 medium/high findings
- No forms, no authentication, no user data
STANDARD RECON PIPELINE
Pre-Hunt: Always Run First
TARGET="target.com"
# Step 0: Passive — crt.sh certificate transparency (no API key needed)
curl -s "https://crt.sh/?q=%.${TARGET}&output=json" \
| jq -r '.[].name_value' \
| sed 's/\*\.//g' \
| sort -u > /tmp/subs.txt
echo "[+] crt.sh: $(wc -l < /tmp/subs.txt) subdomains"
# Step 1: Chaos API (ProjectDiscovery — most comprehensive source)
curl -s "https://dns.projectdiscovery.io/dns/$TARGET/subdomains" \
-H "Authorization: $CHAOS_API_KEY" \
| jq -r '.[]' >> /tmp/subs.txt
echo "[+] Chaos returned $(wc -l < /tmp/subs.txt) subdomains"
# Step 2: subfinder (passive multi-source)
subfinder -d $TARGET -silent | anew /tmp/subs.txt
assetfinder --subs-only $TARGET | anew /tmp/subs.txt
echo "[+] Total subdomains after all sources: $(wc -l < /tmp/subs.txt)"
# Step 3: DNS resolution + live host check
cat /tmp/subs.txt | dnsx -silent | httpx -silent -status-code -title -tech-detect | tee /tmp/live.txt
echo "[+] Live hosts: $(wc -l < /tmp/live.txt)"
# Step 4: URL crawl
cat /tmp/live.txt | awk '{print $1}' | katana -d 3 -jc -kf all -silent | anew /tmp/urls.txt
# Step 5: Historical URLs
echo $TARGET | waybackurls | anew /tmp/urls.txt
gau $TARGET --subs | anew /tmp/urls.txt
echo "[+] Total URLs: $(wc -l < /tmp/urls.txt)"
# Step 6: Nuclei scan
nuclei -l /tmp/live.txt -t ~/nuclei-templates/ -severity critical,high,medium -o /tmp/nuclei.txt
Output to Organized Directory
TARGET="target.com"
RECON_DIR="recon/$TARGET"
mkdir -p $RECON_DIR
# All outputs go here:
/tmp/subs.txt → $RECON_DIR/subdomains.txt
/tmp/live.txt → $RECON_DIR/live-hosts.txt
/tmp/urls.txt → $RECON_DIR/urls.txt
/tmp/nuclei.txt → $RECON_DIR/nuclei.txt
ATTACK SURFACE TRIAGE
Find Interesting Targets in URL List
# Parameters worth testing
cat /tmp/urls.txt | grep -E "[?&] (id|user|file|path|url|redirect|next|src|token|key|api_key)=" | tee /tmp/interesting-params.txt
# API endpoints
cat /tmp/urls.txt | grep -E "/api/|/v1/|/v2/|/v3/|/graphql|/rest/|/gql" | tee /tmp/api-endpoints.txt
# File upload endpoints
cat /tmp/urls.txt | grep -E "upload|file|attachment|document|image|avatar|photo|media" | tee /tmp/uploads.txt
# Admin/internal paths
cat /tmp/urls.txt | grep -E "/admin|/internal|/debug|/test|/staging|/dev|/management|/console" | tee /tmp/admin-paths.txt
# Authentication endpoints
cat /tmp/urls.txt | grep -E "/oauth|/login|/auth|/sso|/saml|/oidc|/callback|/token" | tee /tmp/auth-paths.txt
gf Patterns (Quick Classification)
# Install gf patterns: https://github.com/tomnomnom/gf
cat /tmp/urls.txt | gf xss | tee /tmp/xss-candidates.txt
cat /tmp/urls.txt | gf ssrf | tee /tmp/ssrf-candidates.txt
cat /tmp/urls.txt | gf idor | tee /tmp/idor-candidates.txt
cat /tmp/urls.txt | gf sqli | tee /tmp/sqli-candidates.txt
cat /tmp/urls.txt | gf redirect | tee /tmp/redirect-candidates.txt
cat /tmp/urls.txt | gf lfi | tee /tmp/lfi-candidates.txt
cat /tmp/urls.txt | gf rce | tee /tmp/rce-candidates.txt
JS ANALYSIS
SecretFinder (API keys, tokens in JS bundles)
# Activate venv
source ~/tools/SecretFinder/.venv/bin/activate
# Scan a single JS file
python3 ~/tools/SecretFinder/SecretFinder.py -i "https://target.com/static/js/main.js" -o cli
# Scan all JS URLs found in recon
cat /tmp/urls.txt | grep "\.js$" | head -50 | while read url; do
echo "=== $url ==="
python3 ~/tools/SecretFinder/SecretFinder.py -i "$url" -o cli 2>/dev/null
done
deactivate
LinkFinder (Endpoints hidden in JS)
source ~/tools/LinkFinder/.venv/bin/activate
# Single JS file
python3 ~/tools/LinkFinder/linkfinder.py -i "https://target.com/app.js" -o cli
# All pages (crawls JS from HTML)
python3 ~/tools/LinkFinder/linkfinder.py -i "https://target.com" -d -o cli
deactivate
DIRECTORY FUZZING
ffuf — Standard Fuzzing
# Directory discovery on a live host
ffuf -u "https://target.com/FUZZ" \
-w ~/wordlists/common.txt \
-mc 200,201,204,301,302,307,401,403 \
-ac \
-t 40 \
-o /tmp/ffuf-dirs.json
# API endpoint discovery
ffuf -u "https://target.com/api/FUZZ" \
-w ~/wordlists/api-endpoints.txt \
-mc 200,201,204,301,302 \
-ac \
-t 20
# IDOR fuzzing with authenticated request
# Create req.txt with Authorization: Bearer TOKEN
ffuf -request /tmp/req.txt \
-request-proto https \
-w <(seq 1 10000) \
-fc 404 \
-ac \
-t 10
TARGET SCORING — GO / NO-GO
Score before spending time. Skip if score < 4.
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Max bounty >= $5K | +2 |
| Large user base (>100K) or handles money | +2 |
| Program launched < 60 days ago | +2 |
| Complex features: API, OAuth, file upload, GraphQL | +1 |
| Recent code/feature changes (GitHub, changelog) | +1 |
| Private program (less competition) | +1 |
| Tech stack you know | +1 |
| Source code available | +1 |
| Prior disclosed reports to study | +1 |
< 4: Skip 4-5: Only if nothing better available 6-8: Good — spend 1-3 days >= 9: Excellent — spend up to 1 week
Pre-Dive Hard Kill Signals
- Max bounty < $500 → not worth your time
- All recent reports are N/A or duplicate → hunters saturated it
- Scope is only a static marketing page → no attack surface
- Company < 5 employees with no revenue → won't pay
- Explicitly excludes your planned bug class in rules
TECH STACK DETECTION (2 min)
# Response headers reveal backend
curl -sI https://target.com | grep -iE "server|x-powered-by|x-aspnet|x-runtime|x-generator"
# Common signals:
# Server: nginx + X-Powered-By: PHP/7.4 → PHP backend
# Server: gunicorn OR X-Powered-By: Express → Python/Node.js
# X-Powered-By: ASP.NET → .NET
# Server: Apache Tomcat → Java
# X-Runtime: Ruby → Ruby on Rails
# Framework from JS bundle paths:
# /_next/static/ → Next.js
# /static/js/main.chunk.js → CRA (React)
# /packs/ → Ruby on Rails + Webpacker
# /__nuxt/ → Nuxt.js (Vue)
Stack → Primary Bug Class Map
| Stack | Hunt First | Hunt Second |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby on Rails | Mass assignment | IDOR (:id routes) |
| Django | IDOR (ModelViewSet, no object perms) | SSTI (mark_safe) |
| Flask | SSTI (render_template_string) | SSRF (requests lib) |
| Laravel | Mass assignment ($fillable) | IDOR (Eloquent, no ownership) |
| Express (Node.js) | Prototype pollution | Path traversal |
| Spring Boot | Actuator endpoints (/actuator/env) | SSTI (Thymeleaf) |
| ASP.NET | ViewState deserialization | Open redirect (ReturnUrl) |
| Next.js | SSRF via Server Actions | Open redirect via redirect() |
| GraphQL | Introspection → auth bypass on mutations | IDOR via node(id:) |
| WordPress | Plugin SQLi | REST API auth bypass |
CONTINUOUS MONITORING SETUP
Set up once per target. Alerts you before other hunters.
New Subdomain Alerts (daily cron)
#!/bin/bash
TARGET="target.com"
KNOWN="/tmp/$TARGET-subs-known.txt"
subfinder -d $TARGET -silent > /tmp/$TARGET-subs-fresh.txt
curl -s "https://dns.projectdiscovery.io/dns/$TARGET/subdomains" \
-H "Authorization: $CHAOS_API_KEY" \
| jq -r '.[]' >> /tmp/$TARGET-subs-fresh.txt
# Diff against known
NEW=$(comm -23 <(sort /tmp/$TARGET-subs-fresh.txt) <(sort $KNOWN 2>/dev/null))
if [ -n "$NEW" ]; then
echo "NEW SUBDOMAINS: $NEW"
echo "$NEW" >> $KNOWN
fi
# Schedule: crontab -e → 0 8 * * * /bin/bash ~/monitors/subs-watch.sh
GitHub Commit Watch
#!/bin/bash
REPO="TargetOrg/target-app"
LAST_SHA="/tmp/$REPO-last-sha.txt"
CURRENT=$(curl -s "https://api.github.com/repos/$REPO/commits?per_page=1" | jq -r '.[0].sha')
KNOWN=$(cat $LAST_SHA 2>/dev/null)
if [ "$CURRENT" != "$KNOWN" ]; then
echo "New commit on $REPO: $CURRENT"
echo $CURRENT > $LAST_SHA
# Get changed files
curl -s "https://api.github.com/repos/$REPO/commits/$CURRENT" \
| jq -r '.files[].filename' | grep -E "auth|middleware|route|permission|role|admin"
fi
# Schedule: */30 * * * * /bin/bash ~/monitors/github-watch.sh
PORT SCANNING (often skipped — don't skip)
# naabu — fast port scanner from ProjectDiscovery
# Finds non-standard ports: 8080, 8443, 3000, 8888, 9000, etc.
cat /tmp/live.txt | awk '{print $1}' | naabu -port 80,443,8080,8443,3000,4000,5000,8000,8888,9000,9090,9200,6379 -silent | tee /tmp/open-ports.txt
# Why this matters: admin panels, debug services, internal APIs often run on alt ports
# Example wins: :8080/actuator/env (Spring Boot), :9200/_cat/indices (Elasticsearch), :6379 (Redis)
SECRET SCANNING IN JS BUNDLES
# trufflehog — high-signal secret detection with entropy analysis
# Scans JS files and git repos
pip install trufflehog3 2>/dev/null || true
trufflehog filesystem --only-verified recon/$TARGET/ 2>/dev/null
# SecretFinder — manual JS bundle scan (already in tools/)
source ~/tools/SecretFinder/.venv/bin/activate
cat /tmp/urls.txt | grep "\.js$" | head -100 | while read url; do
python3 ~/tools/SecretFinder/SecretFinder.py -i "$url" -o cli 2>/dev/null
done
deactivate
# Quick grep for common patterns in downloaded JS
wget -q -r -l 1 -A "*.js" -P /tmp/js-files/ "https://$TARGET" 2>/dev/null
grep -rn "api_key\|apiKey\|client_secret\|access_token\|private_key\|AWS_SECRET\|AKIA" /tmp/js-files/ 2>/dev/null
GITHUB DORKING FOR TARGET
# Search GitHub for hardcoded secrets before hunting the app
TARGET_ORG="TargetOrgName" # Check their GitHub org
# Useful dorks (search on github.com):
# org:TARGET_ORG password
# org:TARGET_ORG api_key
# org:TARGET_ORG "Authorization: Bearer"
# org:TARGET_ORG .env
# org:TARGET_ORG "BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY"
# CLI with gh (GitHub CLI):
gh search code "api_key" --owner "$TARGET_ORG" --json path,repository 2>/dev/null | jq '.'
gh search code "password" --owner "$TARGET_ORG" --json path,repository 2>/dev/null | head -20
# GitDorker (if installed):
python3 ~/tools/GitDorker/GitDorker.py -t GITHUB_TOKEN -d ~/tools/GitDorker/Dorks/alldorksv3 -q "$TARGET" -org
Contents
- 30-MINUTE RECON PROTOCOL
- Toolchain fallback (when
dnsx/httpxcrash) - API Spec / Swagger / OpenAPI Discovery (2024-2026 surface)
- Related Skills & Chains
- Operator Notes (Claude-BugHunter)
When to Use
- You have explicit, written authorization to assess the target in scope, and the task matches this skill's vulnerability class or technique within a bug-bounty or penetration-test engagement.
- You need the recon, exploitation, or validation workflow described below — executed strictly inside the approved scope.
Limitations
- Authorized scope only: the confirmation gate above is mandatory before any probing, exploitation, or credential-access command.
- Docs-only import: upstream helper scripts, commands, engine, and research assets are not bundled; reinstall tooling from the source repo when needed.
- Validate every finding (see
triage-validation) before reporting; report viareport-writing. Prefer a sandbox, disposable VM, or controlled lab.
Example
# Read-only first step; confirm scope before anything active.
cat scope.txt # target list from the authorized engagement brief
Adapted from elementalsouls/Claude-BugHunter (MIT); frontmatter, When to Use/Limitations, and safety boundaries added for upstream compliance. Docs-only import: executable helpers, commands, engine, and research assets not bundled.