Based on “Live bug bounty hunting on Hackerone | Live Recon | part 2" by The Cyberboy

TL;DR: Bug bounty reconnaissance is the systematic process of discovering attack surfaces before hunting for vulnerabilities. This guide walks through the complete workflow — from checking program scope on HackerOne, to using tools like subfinder, assetfinder, and ffuf for subdomain discovery, to verifying live domains with httpx, and finally using Google dorking and web archives to find hidden gems. The key is methodical enumeration: more surfaces you find, more chances you have to discover bugs.

🚀 Introduction: Why Reconnaissance Matters

Picture yourself as a treasure hunter standing before a massive castle. You can’t just walk through the front door — it’s locked tight and heavily guarded.

But what if the castle has dozens of side entrances, forgotten windows, or crumbling walls? Your job is to map every single opening before anyone else finds them.

This is exactly what reconnaissance (or “recon” for short) means in bug bounty hunting. It’s the art of discovering as many web addresses, endpoints, and attack surfaces as possible for your target company.

The Cyberboy demonstrates this beautifully in his live hunt on PayPal’s bug bounty program. By the end of this article, you’ll understand every tool and technique he…