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🚀 Earn $1000: Account Takeover by This Methodology 💰

Abhijeet Kumawat
InfoSec Write-ups
Published in
3 min read6 days ago

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🔍 Introduction

Imagine earning $1000 just by finding a vulnerability in a website’s authentication system. Account Takeover (ATO) vulnerabilities are among the most critical security flaws, and bounty programs reward researchers handsomely for reporting them. This write-up will guide you step by step through a practical methodology to exploit and report an ATO vulnerability. 🕵️‍♂️

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🔑 What is Account Takeover (ATO)?

Account Takeover occurs when an attacker gains unauthorized access to a user’s account by exploiting weaknesses in authentication or session management. The impact can be severe, including financial fraud, identity theft, and data breaches. ⚠️

💰 Bug Bounty Potential

Many platforms, including Bugcrowd, HackerOne, and private programs, pay up to $1000 or more for valid ATO reports. This guide will walk you through a methodology that has led to real-world payouts. 💵

🛠️ Step-by-Step PoC (Proof of Concept)

🔎 Step 1: Reconnaissance

1️⃣ Choose a target with a login and account recovery feature. 2️⃣ Identify authentication mechanisms: Email, phone number, OAuth, or SSO. 3️⃣ Analyze password reset and account recovery flows.

🕵️‍♂️ Step 2: Identifying Weaknesses in Account Recovery

Most ATO exploits target weak recovery mechanisms. Common issues include:

  • 🔓 IDOR (Insecure Direct Object References) in password reset.
  • 📧 Email or phone number enumeration

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Published in InfoSec Write-ups

A collection of write-ups from the best hackers in the world on topics ranging from bug bounties and CTFs to vulnhub machines, hardware challenges and real life encounters. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the coolest infosec updates: https://weekly.infosecwriteups.com/

Written by Abhijeet Kumawat

Radhe Radhe ✨ || Jr. Security Consultant || Security Researcher || Bug Hunter || Web Application Penetration Tester || Ethical Hacker ||

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