Report Writing

BAD:  "This vulnerability could potentially allow an attacker to access user data."
GOOD: "An attacker can access any user's order history by changing the user_id
       parameter to the target user's ID. I confirmed this using two test accounts:
       attacker@test.com (ID 123) successfully retrieved victim@test.com (ID 456)
       orders, including their shipping address and payment method last 4 digits."

[Bug Class] in [Exact Endpoint/Feature] allows [attacker role] to [impact] [victim scope]

IDOR in /api/v2/invoices/{id} allows authenticated user to read any customer's invoice data
Missing auth on POST /api/admin/users allows unauthenticated attacker to create admin accounts
Stored XSS in profile bio field executes in admin panel — allows privilege escalation
SSRF via image import URL parameter reaches AWS EC2 metadata service
Race condition in coupon redemption allows same code to be used unlimited times

IDOR vulnerability found
Broken access control
XSS in user input
Security issue in API
Unauthorized access to user data

## Summary

[One paragraph: what the bug is, where it is, what an attacker can do. Be specific.
Include: endpoint, method, parameter, data exposed, required access level.]

Example: "The `/api/users/{user_id}/orders` endpoint does not verify that the
authenticated user owns the requested user_id. An attacker can enumerate any
user's order history, including PII (email, address, phone) and purchase history,
by incrementing the user_id parameter. No privileges beyond a standard free
account are required."

## Vulnerability Details

**Vulnerability Type:** IDOR / Broken Object Level Authorization
**CVSS 3.1 Score:** 6.5 (Medium) — AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
**Affected Endpoint:** GET /api/users/{user_id}/orders

## Steps to Reproduce

**Environment:**
- Attacker account: attacker@test.com, user_id = 123
- Victim account: victim@test.com, user_id = 456
- Target: https://target.com

**Steps:**

1. Log in as attacker@test.com, obtain Bearer token

2. Send the following request:

3. Observe response:

```json
{
  "orders": [
    {"id": 789, "items": [...], "email": "victim@test.com", "address": "123 Main St..."}
  ]
}

if order.user_id != current_user.id:
    raise Forbidden()

---

## BUGCROWD REPORT TEMPLATE

```markdown
# [IDOR] User order history accessible without authorization via /api/users/{id}/orders

**VRT Category:** Broken Access Control > IDOR > P2

## Description

[Same impact-first paragraph as HackerOne summary]

## Steps to Reproduce

[Same structured steps — exact HTTP requests, exact responses]

## Proof of Concept

[Screenshot/video showing the actual impact]

## Expected vs Actual Behavior

**Expected:** 403 Forbidden when user_id does not match authenticated user
**Actual:** 200 OK with victim's full order data

## Severity Justification

P2 (High) — Direct read access to other users' PII. Affects all user accounts.
No user interaction required. Exploitable by any authenticated user.
Automated enumeration could exfil all [N] user records in minutes.

## Remediation

Add ownership verification: `if order.user_id != current_user.id: raise 403`

# [Bug Class]: [Exact Impact] in [Endpoint/Feature]

## Description

[Impact-first paragraph. Start with what an attacker can do, not with how you found it.
Include: endpoint, method, parameter, data exposed, required privileges.]

## Steps to Reproduce

**Environment:**
- Attacker: email=attacker@test.com (standard account, no special role)
- Victim: email=victim@test.com
- Tested: [date]

**Reproduction steps:**

1. [Login as attacker / visit URL / send request]

2. Send the following HTTP request:

\```http
METHOD /endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.com
Authorization: Bearer ATTACKER_TOKEN
Content-Type: application/json

{"param": "victim_id_here"}
\```

3. Observe response contains victim's private data:

\```json
{"email": "victim@test.com", "address": "123 Main St", ...}
\```

## Impact

[Specific, quantified impact. What data, how many users, what can attacker do.]

CVSS 3.1 Score: X.X ([Severity]) — AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

## Remediation

[1-3 sentence concrete fix. Include code if helpful.]

## Attachments

[Screenshot or Loom video showing the impact — Intigriti triagers prefer video for complex bugs]

# [Bug Class] — [Protocol Name] — [Severity]

## Summary

[One paragraph with: root cause, affected function, economic impact, attack cost.
Include numbers where possible: "attacker can drain $X in Y transactions."]

## Vulnerability Details

**Contract:** `VulnerableContract.sol`
**Function:** `claimRedemption()`
**Bug Class:** Accounting State Desynchronization
**Severity:** Critical

### Root Cause

[Exact code snippet showing the vulnerable code with comments]

## Proof of Concept

```solidity
// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.0;
// Foundry PoC — run: forge test --match-test test_exploit -vvvv

contract ExploitTest is Test {
    // ... full working exploit
}

---

## CVSS 3.1 QUICK SCORING

### Formula

### Metric Quick Picks

| Metric | Value | Weight | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Attack Vector (AV)** | Network | +0.85 | Via internet |
| | Local | +0.55 | Local access needed |
| **Attack Complexity (AC)** | Low | +0.77 | Repeatable |
| | High | +0.44 | Race/timing needed |
| **Privileges Required (PR)** | None | +0.85 | No login |
| | Low | +0.62 | Regular user account |
| | High | +0.27 | Admin account |
| **User Interaction (UI)** | None | +0.85 | No victim action |
| | Required | +0.62 | Victim must click |
| **Scope (S)** | Changed | higher | Affects browser/OS/other |
| | Unchanged | lower | Stays in app |
| **Confidentiality (C)** | High | +0.56 | All data exposed |
| | Low | +0.22 | Limited data |
| **Integrity (I)** | High | +0.56 | Can modify any data |
| **Availability (A)** | High | +0.56 | Crashes service |

### Typical Scores by Bug Class

| Bug | Typical CVSS | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| IDOR (read PII) | 6.5 | Medium |
| IDOR (write/delete) | 7.5 | High |
| Auth bypass → admin | 9.8 | Critical |
| Stored XSS (any user) | 5.4–8.8 | Med–High |
| SQLi (data exfil) | 8.6 | High |
| SSRF (cloud metadata) | 9.1 | Critical |
| Race condition (double spend) | 7.5 | High |
| GraphQL auth bypass | 8.7 | High |
| JWT none algorithm | 9.1 | Critical |

---

## SEVERITY DECISION GUIDE

### Critical (P1)
- Full account takeover of any user without interaction
- Remote code execution
- SQLi with ability to dump/modify entire DB
- Auth bypass to admin panel
- SSRF to cloud metadata → IAM credentials exfil

### High (P2)
- Mass PII exposure (email, phone, SSN, payment data)
- Privilege escalation from user to admin
- SSRF reaching internal services (data returned)
- Stored XSS executing for all users of sensitive feature
- Payment bypass / financial loss without limit

### Medium (P3)
- IDOR on specific user's non-critical data
- XSS on low-sensitivity page requiring victim interaction
- CSRF on important but non-critical action
- Rate limit bypass on OTP (with effort demonstrated)

### Low (P4)
- Information disclosure (non-sensitive, no PII)
- Clickjacking on sensitive action WITH working PoC
- CORS on limited data

---

## SEVERITY SELF-ASSESSMENT

Each YES raises severity:

---

## DOWNGRADE COUNTERS

| Program Says | Counter With |
|---|---|
| "Requires authentication" | "Attacker needs only a free account — no special role or permission" |
| "Limited impact" | "Affects [N] users / exposes [PII type] / $[amount] at risk" |
| "Already known" | "Show me the report number — I searched hacktivity and found none" |
| "By design" | "Show me the documentation stating this is intended behavior" |
| "Low CVSS" | "CVSS doesn't capture business impact — attacker can extract [X] in [Y] minutes" |
| "Not exploitable" | "Here is the exact response showing victim's data returned to attacker session" |

---

## THE 60-SECOND PRE-SUBMIT CHECKLIST

---

## CVSS 4.0 QUICK REFERENCE (newer programs)

CVSS 4.0 replaced CVSS 3.1 in November 2023. Some newer programs require it.

### Key Differences from CVSS 3.1

| Metric | CVSS 3.1 | CVSS 4.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Attack Vector | Network/Adjacent/Local/Physical | Same |
| Attack Complexity | Low/High | Low/High |
| **NEW**: Attack Requirements | (didn't exist) | None/Present (replaces some PR/UI) |
| Privileges Required | None/Low/High | Same |
| User Interaction | None/Required | None/Passive/Active |
| Scope | Unchanged/Changed | REMOVED |
| **NEW**: Sub-Impact metrics | (didn't exist) | Vulnerable/Subsequent system impact |

### CVSS 4.0 Score Examples

| Finding | CVSS 4.0 Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthenticated RCE | 10.0 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H |
| IDOR read PII, auth required | 6.9 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| Stored XSS, admin views it | 8.2 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N |
| SSRF → cloud metadata | 8.7 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N |

### Quick CVSS 4.0 Calculator

**Practical rule**: If program uses CVSS 4.0 and you don't know the vector, use the calculator and include the full string starting with `CVSS:4.0/AV:...`. Programs cannot dispute a valid vector string.

---

## HUMAN TONE GUIDELINES

**Write to a person, not a system:**
- Triagers are tired. Get to the impact in sentence 1.
- Use "I" not "the researcher" — you found it, own it
- Short paragraphs, bullet points for steps
- Hyperlink relevant docs if needed

**Escalation language (when payout is being downgraded):**

**Avoid:**
- Jargon the triager might not know
- 5-paragraph explanations of what IDOR is (they know)
- Theoretical chains ("could be combined with X to...")
- Passive voice ("it was observed that...")
- Qualifying language ("seems to," "appears to")

---

## STEPS TO REPRODUCE FORMAT (triager-optimized)

```markdown
**Setup:**
- Account A (attacker): email=attacker@test.com, ID=111
- Account B (victim): email=victim@test.com, ID=222
- Both created via normal registration — no special access

**Steps:**

1. Log in as Account A
2. Send this request (replace `111` with victim ID `222`):

\```
GET /api/v2/resource/222 HTTP/1.1
Host: target.com
Authorization: Bearer ACCOUNT_A_TOKEN
\```

3. Response contains Account B's private data:

\```json
{"id": 222, "email": "victim@test.com", "name": "Victim User", "address": "..."}
\```

**Expected:** 403 Forbidden
**Actual:** 200 OK with victim's private data