Essential Bug Hunting Tools for Beginners: Start Your Journey in Cybersecurity

If you’re just getting started in bug hunting, having the right tools can make a huge difference. As a beginner, your goal should be to familiarize yourself with tools that will help you understand basic vulnerabilities, learn how to gather information on a target, and document your findings effectively. Here’s a guide to some of the best beginner-friendly tools to start your bug-hunting journey!

1. Reconnaissance Tools

Reconnaissance, or “recon,” is the first step in bug hunting. It involves gathering as much information as possible about your target, which can help you identify potential vulnerabilities.

• Nmap (Network Mapper): Nmap is like the Swiss Army knife of network scanning. It allows you to scan a network, identify open ports, and see what services are running. This is especially useful for finding areas of a network that might be vulnerable.
• Sublist3r: Sublist3r is designed to find subdomains of a target domain. For instance, if you’re investigating “example.com,” Sublist3r will help you find related subdomains like “blog.example.com” or “mail.example.com” that could also be entry points for vulnerabilities.

2. Web Vulnerability Scanners