This is how you can track and improve your bug bounty performance over a time. It is a cyclic process of improvement.
Bug bounty hunting can be a lucrative and rewarding profession, but it requires a lot of effort and continuous improvement to stay ahead of the competition. One way to achieve this is by tracking your performance metrics over time, which can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and focus your efforts on areas that need improvement. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of tracking performance metrics in bug bounty hunting and discuss some of the metrics you should be tracking to improve your skills and increase your rewards.
Tracking performance metrics is essential in bug bounty hunting because it allows you to measure your progress over time, identify areas for improvement, and set goals for future performance. By tracking your metrics, you can also benchmark your performance against other bug bounty hunters and see how you stack up against the competition.
In addition, tracking performance metrics can help you to identify trends in your bug bounty hunting, such as the types of vulnerabilities you are most successful at finding or the targets that are most profitable for you.
This information can be used to tailor your bug bounty hunting strategy and focus your efforts on areas where you have the greatest chance of success.
The number of submissions per month is a crucial metric for bug bounty hunters because it measures your productivity and the amount of effort you are putting into your bug bounty hunting. By tracking your submissions, you can set goals for increasing your productivity and improving the quality of your submissions over time.
To improve your performance in this area, consider using automation tools and scripts to streamline your workflow and increase your efficiency. You may also want to focus on high-value targets or vulnerabilities that are likely to yield more significant rewards, rather than wasting your time on low-priority issues.
The number of valid submissions per month is another critical metric for bug bounty hunters because it measures the quality of your submissions and your ability to identify legitimate vulnerabilities. By tracking this metric, you can identify areas where you need to improve your skills or techniques and focus your efforts on areas where you have the greatest chance of success.
To improve your performance in this area, consider investing in training or education to improve your knowledge of different vulnerability types and attack vectors. You may also want to collaborate with other bug bounty hunters to share information and learn from their experiences.
The number of valid P1/P2 findings per month is a crucial metric for bug bounty hunters because it measures the value of your findings and the potential impact they could have on the target. By tracking this metric, you can identify areas where you are most successful at finding high-value vulnerabilities and focus your efforts on those areas to increase your rewards.
To improve your performance in this area, consider focusing on specific target types or technologies where high-value vulnerabilities are likely to exist. You may also want to invest in advanced tools and techniques for identifying complex vulnerabilities, such as code analysis or reverse engineering.
The number of dollars awarded per month is an essential metric for bug bounty hunters because it measures your financial success and the amount of money you are earning from your bug bounty hunting efforts. By tracking this metric, you can set financial goals for yourself and identify areas where you need to improve your skills or techniques to increase your rewards.
To improve your performance in this area, consider focusing on high-value targets or vulnerabilities that are likely to yield significant rewards. You may also want to develop a reputation as a trusted and reliable bug bounty hunter by submitting high-quality and well-documented findings that demonstrate the severity and impact of the vulnerabilities you discover.
The number of targets added per month is a useful metric for bug bounty hunters because it measures the diversity of your bug bounty hunting efforts and the range of targets you are able to identify vulnerabilities in. By tracking this metric, you can identify areas where you need to expand your knowledge or skillset and focus your efforts on targets that align with your strengths.
To improve your performance in this area, consider researching new technologies or platforms and expanding your knowledge in areas where you have limited experience. You may also want to collaborate with other bug bounty hunters to learn about new targets or techniques that can help you to broaden your skillset and identify new opportunities for rewards.
Sample Performance Tracker:
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You can use this template to track the activities over time and pivoting this
in you excel can generate all types of metrics that I mentioned above:| S.No. | Date | Submission | Skill Needed | Tool Used | Target | Severity | Valid/Approved?|
| 1 | 02 March 2023 | XSS Vulnerability | XSS Exploitation | Burp Suite | XYZ | P3 | Approved |
| 2 | 03 March 2023 | Remote Code Execution | Bash Scripting | Metasploit | P1 | Approved|
In addition to tracking your performance metrics, it’s also important to use a cyclic process of tracking, identifying areas of improvement, working on improvement, and tracking again to continuously improve your bug bounty hunting skills. Let’s break down this process into four steps.
As we have discussed earlier, tracking your performance metrics is critical to understanding your strengths and weaknesses as a bug bounty hunter. You should regularly track and monitor the metrics that matter to you, such as the number of submissions, valid submissions, P1/P2 findings, dollars awarded, and targets added per month.
Once you have tracked your metrics, you should analyze them to identify areas where you need to improve. For example, if you notice that your number of valid submissions per month is low, you may need to improve your skills in identifying legitimate vulnerabilities. Alternatively, if you find that you are not earning as much as you would like, you may need to focus on finding high-value targets or improving the quality of your submissions.
Once you have identified the areas where you need to improve, you should work on developing your skills and knowledge to address those areas. This could involve investing in training or education, collaborating with other bug bounty hunters, or experimenting with new tools and techniques.
After you have worked on improving your skills, you should track your performance metrics again to evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts. You should be able to see improvements in the areas where you have focused your efforts, such as an increase in the number of valid submissions or the amount of dollars awarded per month.
By using this cyclic process of tracking, identifying areas of improvement, working on improvement, and tracking again, you can continuously improve your bug bounty hunting skills and stay ahead of the competition. This process allows you to adapt to changes in the bug bounty landscape and identify new opportunities for growth and success.
Tracking performance metrics is an essential part of improving your bug bounty hunting skills and increasing your rewards over time. By monitoring your submissions, valid submissions, P1/P2 findings, dollars awarded, and targets added per month, you can identify areas for improvement and set goals for future performance. By focusing on these metrics and by following the TIRR process for continuously improving your skills and knowledge, you can become a more successful and profitable bug bounty hunter.