From JS File to Jackpot: How I Found API Keys and Secrets Hidden in Production Code
1 min read
Summary
A JavaScript file led to a juicy API key leak and a sweet bounty for a bug bounty hunter.
The hunter starts with ritual mass recon, using tools like Subfinder, httpx, and gau to find target organization subdomains, live hosts, and extract hidden endpoints.
Hunting led to a jackpot after finding an unsecured API endpoint, which posed as a treasure map of sensitive data, including API keys and secrets.
The hunter used these keys to build a dramatic and convincing phishing kit that led to a lucrative payout after successfully reporting the vulnerability.
The key to the hunt was meticulous attention to detail, relentless curiosity, and an obsession with finding secrets where no one thought to look.
Hunter recommends going beyond the bare minimum in vulnerability detection and embracing a caffeinated sense of mischief to up one’s bug-hunting game.