When I stumbled upon a way to access previously hidden bug bounty rewards on HackerOne using the Wayback Machine, I thought I’d hit upon a critical vulnerability. Imagine: the confidential details of anonymized reports, including bounty rewards, were just a few clicks away—available in the archives of the Wayback Machine. However, my excitement soon turned into a lesson in perspective when HackerOne’s security team reviewed the report.

Here’s how it unfolded: my discovery, the HackerOne team’s response, and the lessons I learned.

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The Discovery: A Time Machine to Hidden Data

While exploring HackerOne reports, I noticed that hidden details, such as bug bounty rewards, could be retrieved using the Wayback Machine. Here’s how:

1. Find a report on HackerOne where the bounty reward is hidden (e.g., Report ID: 54733).

2. Copy the URL and search it in the Wayback Machine.

3. Navigate to a snapshot taken before the report was anonymized.

4. Bingo! The previously visible bounty reward is accessible again.

For example, I retrieved bounty rewards from reports that had been anonymized on HackerOne’s live platform but remained visible in archived snapshots. This raised concerns about privacy, confidentiality, and the platform’s integrity.

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Why I Thought It Was a Bug

The ability to access sensitive, once-hidden information seemed like a breach of confidentiality. I believed this posed several risks:

Privacy Breach: Exposing researchers' and organizations’ financial details.

Loss of Trust: Undermining confidence in HackerOne’s ability to manage sensitive data.

Data Leakage: Once confidential information is public, it can be misused by bad actors.

Armed with this understanding, I responsibly reported the issue to HackerOne’s bug bounty program.

Bug poc here

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The HackerOne Team's Response

After careful investigation, HackerOne concluded that this wasn’t a vulnerability but a result of public information management. Here’s a summary of their feedback:

No Sensitive Data Was Leaked: The Wayback Machine only archives publicly accessible content. If the bounty details were visible in the past, it was because they were publicly available at that time.

Not a HackerOne Fault: The data was indexed by external platforms like the Wayback Machine due to its prior public visibility. HackerOne cannot retract information once it’s been archived externally.

Systemic Challenge: Many third-party services, including independent crawlers, archive HackerOne reports. Retracting this data is an unrealistic endeavor akin to chasing a rabbit down a hole.

No Signal or Reputation Impact: While the report wasn’t classified as a vulnerability, HackerOne appreciated my effort and encouraged future submissions.

Their transparency was commendable, and the response highlighted the challenges of managing public data in a decentralized internet.

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The Memes That Got Me Through It

1. When you think you've found a critical vulnerability but it’s just public data:

"Me: 'I’ve found a critical bug!'
HackerOne: 'It’s just the Wayback Machine doing its job.'”

2. Explaining the issue to my friends:

"Me: 'It’s not a bug, but it feels like one?'”

3. HackerOne’s response in meme form:

"Wayback Machine: 'I archive everything.'
HackerOne: 'Not our problem.'”

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Lessons Learned

1. Not Every Flaw Is a Bug:
What feels like a critical vulnerability might just be a side effect of how the internet works. Public data, once visible, is incredibly hard to erase.

2. Transparency Matters:
HackerOne’s candid response shed light on the broader issue of data permanence. It’s not about bugs but about managing the internet’s memory.

3. Appreciation for Reporting:
Even though my report wasn’t classified as a vulnerability, HackerOne acknowledged the effort and encouraged future submissions. That’s how platforms build trust with researchers.

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Final Thoughts

This experience taught me that not all discoveries are black and white. Sometimes, the issue isn’t about fixing a bug but understanding how data circulates online. HackerOne and the Wayback Machine are both valuable tools in their own domains, but their intersection reveals the challenges of preserving privacy in a transparent digital world.

For aspiring bug bounty hunters: keep exploring, keep reporting, and keep learning. Even if your report isn’t classified as a vulnerability, every step contributes to a safer internet.

And remember, when in doubt, there’s always a meme to lighten the mood!