Bug Bounty: A Practical Note-Taking Template

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Your notes are the difference between a paid report and 'I saw something weird last Tuesday.' Platforms don't pay for memory.

I don't use fancy apps—markdown files per program with the same skeleton every time. Consistency beats aesthetics when you're juggling three scopes.

Notes are insurance against duplicate closures and forgotten context—cheap to keep, expensive to skip.

What each program file gets

Header block: program name, dates, in-scope URLs, account emails used, and out-of-scope reminders copied verbatim.

Sections below: asset list, interesting endpoints, hypotheses (even dead ones), findings draft, and questions for triage.

Timestamp proxy highlights. Tag requests with `#auth`, `#idor-candidate`, `#weird`. Screenshot response diffs when two roles should differ.

Promote a finding note into report sections: summary, steps, impact, remediation. If steps aren't copy-paste ready, you're not done.

Good notes make triage fast and duplicates easier to argue.

Keep client and user data inside program confidentiality rules—redact before you archive.

End each session with tomorrow's first step written—morning you is lazy and will thank evening you.

Small habits compound—what feels like overhead early becomes speed when deadlines hit.

Use consistent host slugs in filenames so ripgrep across programs finds that weird endpoint six months later.

Screenshot naming: date, host, role, one-word topic. Future you greps faster than scrolling Photos.

Every Friday, promote one note into a draft report section—even if unfinished—to practice clarity.

Tag emotional state briefly if you're burnout-prone; patterns show up in hindsight.

Back up notes off-platform—programs close and platforms glitch.

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