Bug bounty triage workflow

Why bug bounty triage needs structure

Bug bounty triage usually fails in one of two ways: either the team spends too much time trying to reproduce vague reports, or they confirm an issue but lose the evidence context needed for engineering review.

The right workflow is smaller and stricter.

A practical bug bounty triage sequence

1. Reconfirm scope

Validate the program, target, and asset ownership before you start. Confirm that the reported route or feature is still in scope.

2. Reproduce the path exactly

Replay the reporter steps as closely as possible. Keep the same role assumptions, route sequence, and state transitions where feasible.

3. Compare identity boundaries

When the report involves authorization or role separation, compare the same path across the relevant identities. This is often the fastest way to confirm IDOR and access control issues.

4. Export the proof cleanly

A useful triage pack usually includes:

• reproduction steps
• timestamps
• screenshots
• request and response traces
• notes on which roles were used

What to avoid

• Broad retesting before the core report is confirmed
• Mixing artifacts from multiple reproduction attempts
• Declaring a report fixed without preserving the evidence that justified the decision

When this workflow is the right fit

Use this path when the primary question is whether a report still reproduces and whether the evidence is strong enough for internal validation or a retest response.