Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast

Justin Gardner (Rhynorater) & Joel Margolis (teknogeek)

<p>A "by Hackers for Hackers" podcast focused on technical content ranging from bug bounty tips, to write-up explanations, to the latest hacking techniques.</p>

  • 45 minutes 4 seconds
    Episode 160: Cloudflare Zero-days &amp; Mail Unsubscribing for XSS

    Episode 160: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast Joseph and Brandyn. Chat through some news, Including a Cloudflare Zero-day, Turning List-Unsubscribe into an SSRF/XSS Gadget, & Magic String Denial of Service in Claude.


    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!


    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X: 

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme


    Critical Research Lab:

    https://lab.ctbb.show/ 


    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!


    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.


    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!


    Today’s Sponsor: Adobe.

    Use code CTBB040126, and get a 10% bonus on your bounty for any AI vulnerability which is mapped to the OWASP LLM top 10.

    Valid on Adobe Acrobat Web - AI Assistant / PDF Spaces / Content Creation and presentation features using Express

    Adobe Express AI Assistant. 

    Valid through April 1st, 2026


    Also we have a Google Cloud VRP Swag Bonus! Mention the podcast in any rewarded (cash or credit) VRP report submission before the end of April to receive bonus swag!


    ====== Resources ======

    Cloudflare Zero-day

    https://fearsoff.org/research/cloudflare-acme


    Turning List-Unsubscribe into an SSRF/XSS Gadget

    https://security.lauritz-holtmann.de/post/xss-ssrf-list-unsubscribe/


    Breaking Multi-Tenant Isolation in Heroku Postgres

    https://allistair.sh/blog/breaking-heroku-postgres/


    Parse and Parse: MIME Validation Bypass to XSS via Parser Differential

    https://lab.ctbb.show/research/parse-and-parse-mime-validation-bypass-to-xss-via-parser-differential


    Claude Magic String Denial of Service

    https://x.com/Frichette_n/status/2013988503336415522


    From WebView to Remote Code Injection

    https://djini.ai/from-webview-to-remote-code-injection/


    DOM XSS Is Not Dead: The Rise of Polyglot Payloads

    https://blogs.jsmon.sh/dom-xss-is-not-dead-the-rise-of-polyglot-payloads/


    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:06:17) Cloudflare Zero-day & Turning List-Unsubscribe into an SSRF/XSS Gadget

    (00:16:57) Breaking Multi-Tenant Isolation in Heroku Postgres & CTBB Research

    (00:25:46) Claude Magic String Denial of Service & From WebView to Remote Code Injection

    5 February 2026, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 46 minutes
    Episode 159: Avoiding Downgrades on Google Cloud VRP with Cote and Darby Hopkins

    Episode 159: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast we sit down with the Google Cloud VRP Team to deep-dive policy and reward changes, what the panel process looks like, and how to best configure for success.


    Follow us on X


    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]


    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!


    ====== Links ======


    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:


    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======


    Hop on the CTBB Discord


    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.


    Get some hacker swag


    Today's Sponsor: Join Justin at Zero Trust World in March and get $200 off registration with Code ZTWCTBB26

    https://ztw.com/


    Google Cloud VRP Swag Bonus! Mention the podcast in any rewarded (cash or credit) VRP report submission before the end of April to receive bonus swag!


    Today’s Guests:

    Darby Hopkins

    Michael Cote


    ====== This Week in Bug Bounty ======

    AI Red Teaming Explained by AI Red Teamers


    Good Faith AI Research Safe Harbor


    Join the Adobe LHE at NULLCON GOA


    ====== Resources ======


    ‘Legendary Guy’ - Jakub Domeracki


    Google Cloud VRP rewards rules


    Google Cloud VRP product tiers


    Bug Hunters blog on the 2025 Google Cloud VRP bugSWAT


    Google VRP Discord


    Google VRP on X


    ====== Timestamps ======


    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:10:03) CloudVRP Bugswat Event Breakdown

    (00:16:40) VRP Policy & Rewards Changes

    (00:04:50) Panel Process

    (01:00:08) Configuring for Success & Avoiding Downgrades

    (01:33:47) Scenarios for Success

    29 January 2026, 10:00 am
  • 58 minutes 30 seconds
    Episode 158: 10hr Marathon Hack-Along Recap + $300k Client-side Bugs

    Episode 158: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast we talk about our personal takeaways from the CTBB Charity Hackalong, and then break down some InsertScript POCs, what a $55,000 bug can look like, and if Smart People Ever Say They’re Smart.


    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!



    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X: 

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme


    Critical Research Lab:

    https://lab.ctbb.show/ 


    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!


    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.


    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!


    Today's Sponsor: Join Justin at Zero Trust World in March and get $200 off registration with Code ZTWCTBB26

    https://ztw.com/


    ====== Resources ======

    InsertScript - XSS Challenge Solution

    https://insert-script.blogspot.com/2020/03/xss-challenge-solution-refresh-header.html


    InsertScript - Redirect AuthHeader

    https://www.insert-script.com/examples/redirectAuthHeader/send.html


    CRLF injection on a 302 redirect

    https://x.com/0xdef1ant/status/2009040359482118500


    Multiple XSS in Meta Conversion API Gateway Leading to Zero-Click Account Takeover

    https://ysamm.com/uncategorized/2025/01/13/capig-xss.html


    Arcanum Hack Tips

    https://github.com/Arcanum-Sec/hack_tips


    Trail of Bits Releases Claude Skills

    https://x.com/dguido/status/2011541318229533063


    what a $55,000 bug can look like

    https://x.com/the_IDORminator/status/2007480636244697237


    Pwning Claude Code in 8 Different Ways

    https://flatt.tech/research/posts/pwning-claude-code-in-8-different-ways/


    Do Smart People Ever Say They’re Smart?

    https://labs.watchtowr.com/do-smart-people-ever-say-theyre-smart-smartertools-smartermail-pre-auth-rce-cve-2025-52691/



    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:04:18) Technical takeaways from CT Charity Hackalong

    (00:22:21) InsertScript POCs & Rez0 and teknogeek's IOT Adventures

    (00:32:16) CRLF injection on a 302 redirect & Multiple XSS in Meta

    (00:41:00) Trail of Bits, what a $55,000 bug can look like, & Pwning Claude Code

    (00:54:16) Do Smart People Ever Say They’re Smart?



    22 January 2026, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 34 minutes
    Episode 157: Crushing Pwn2Own &amp; H1 with Kernel Driver Exploits

    Episode 157: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast we’re joined by Hypr to talk about hacking Mediatek and his experiences with HackerOne and Pwn2Own Ecosystems.

    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!

    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme

    Critical Research Lab:

    https://lab.ctbb.show/

    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!

    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.

    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!

    Today’s Guest: https://x.com/hyprdude

    ====== This Week in Bug Bounty ======

    Top 10 web hacking techniques of 2025: call for nominations

    https://portswigger.net/research/top-10-web-hacking-techniques-of-2025-nominations-open

    CVE-2025-13467

    https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2025-13467

    ====== Resources ======

    Hypr's Blog

    https://blog.coffinsec.com

    mediatek? more like media-rekt, amirite.

    https://blog.coffinsec.com/0days/2025/12/15/more-like-mediarekt-amirite.html

    kernel-utils

    https://github.com/mellow-hype/kernel-utils

    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:03:23) Heap Overflow in Mediatek Kernel Drivers

    (00:19:23) Kernel Debugging & ioctl Handlers

    (00:43:30) Input Structs, Sync to Source, & Privilege Escalation

    (00:51:30) HackerOne Ecosystem vs Pwn2Own Ecosystem

    (01:17:00) Kernel Utils

    (01:26:46) Real World Bugs for Exploit Development vs CTFs

    15 January 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    Episode 156: Chill AMA from bugbounty.forum

    Episode 156: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast we answer some fantastic questions from over at bugbounty.forum

    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!

    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme

    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!

    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.

    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!

    ====== Resources ======

    Critical Thinking Lab

    lab.ctbb.show

    Cross-Site ETag Length Leak

    https://blog.arkark.dev/2025/12/26/etag-length-leak

    Clawdbot

    https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot/

    Post from Steve Caldwell

    https://x.com/moreconfetti/status/2006494133159162008

    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:00:58) Crit Lab update

    (00:04:36) Cross-Site ETag Length Leak

    (00:13:26) Clawdbot

    (00:16:56) Will bug hunting become obsolete, LHE invitations, and Fulltime vs Part time?

    (00:30:52) 10 bugs at $5k or 1 bug at $5k, CTBB Background, & Future Plans

    (00:38:32) Mentoring, Conquering Classes, and what angles we implement from the podcast

    (00:49:27) Best approach on new targets, tips for making 500k in a year, AI/Vibecoding & Human in the Loop

    (00:59:07) Mentally mapping the target, anti-patterns that waste time, and BB beliefs that were wrong.

    (01:10:12) Tackling small scope, staying on one program, picking up after a break, & moving on

    (01:17:41) Invisible elements that make the difference between $2k and $20k

    8 January 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 1 hour 32 minutes
    Episode 155: 2025 Hacker Stats &amp; 2026 Goals

    Episode 155: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast Justin, Joseph, and Brandyn reflect on last year of Bug Bounty, and list their goals and predictions for what 2026 holds.

    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!

    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme

    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!

    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.

    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!

    ====== Resources ======

    2024 Hacker Stats & 2025 Goals

    https://blog.criticalthinkingpodcast.io/p/hackernotes-ep-104-2024-hacker-stats-2025-goals

    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:02:08) 2025 Full Time Hunting Retrospective

    (00:10:19) Most Fulfilling Moments and Bugs

    (00:17:56) Satisfaction with 2025 Stats

    (00:45:28) Automation, Organization, and Collaboration

    (00:48:55) Time and Motivation

    (01:08:01) Goals and Predictions for Bug Bounty in 2026

    1 January 2026, 4:00 pm
  • 41 minutes 28 seconds
    Episode 154: Starting a Pentesting Company on Top of Bug Bounty

    Episode 154: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast Joseph and Brandyn talk through the transition from Bug Bounty hunting to Pentesting. We cover diversifying income streams, the challenges of pricing for Pentests, legal considerations, and what Bug Hunters can bring to the Pentesting world

    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!

    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme

    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!

    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.

    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!

    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:03:36) Starting a Pentesting Company

    (00:12:25) Advantages of Pentesting as a Bug Bounty Hunter

    (00:29:03) Pricing, Sales, and knowing your Market/Worth

    (00:36:21) Compliance in Pentests & Rapid-Fire Takaways

    25 December 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    Episode 153: Hacking the Robots of the Future: Hardware, AI, and Bug Bounties with Matt Brown

    Episode 153: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast Matt Brown returns to talk with us about hacking robots, IOT hackbots, and his Zero-to-Hero Hardware Hacking Guide.

    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!

    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme

    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!

    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.

    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!

    Today’s Guest: Matt Brown

    ====== Resources ======

    KeeYees USB Logic Analyzer Device

    Saleae logic analyzer

    XGecu

    Hardware Hacking Tutorial by Make Me Hack

    UART and SPI firmware extraction

    UART Root Shell on Linux Router

    UART Shell Jail and Unlocked Bootloader

    Chinese IP Camera Firmware Extraction

    Chip-Off Firmware Extraction

    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:01:22) Incremental Session Token Story and Matt Brown Intro

    (00:10:42) Hardware Bug Bounty Scene & AI on Devices

    (00:24:30) Hacking Human Robot

    (00:41:33) Zero-to-Hero Hardware Hacking Guide

    (01:01:47) IOT Hackbot

    18 December 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    Episode 152: GeminiJack and Agentic Security with Sasi Levi

    Episode 152: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast we’re joined by Sasi Levi from Noma Security to talk about AI and Agentic Security. We also talk about ForcedLeak, a Google Vertex Bug, and debate if Prompt Injection is a real Vuln.

    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!

    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme

    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!

    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.

    CHeck out our New Christmas Swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!

    Today's Sponsor: ThreatLocker. Check out ThreatLocker Elevation Control

    https://ctbb.show/tl-ec

    And Noma Security! https://noma.security/

    Today’s Guest: https://x.com/sasi2103

    ====== This Week in Bug Bounty ======

    Vercel Platform Protection

    Dedicated HackerOne program for Vercel WAF

    YesWeHack Open Source Programs

    Android recon for Bug Bounty hunters

    ====== Resources ======

    Sasi's Tweet from 2015

    ForcedLeak: AI Agent risks exposed in Salesforce AgentForce

    Is Prompt Injection a Vulnerability?

    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:09:16) Google Vertex AI Bug

    (00:29:28) Sasi's Background and Bug Bounty Journey

    (00:38:55) Resources for AI and Agentic Security Methodology

    (00:50:34) ForcedLeak

    (01:02:06) Is Prompt Injection a Vuln?

    11 December 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 1 hour 7 minutes
    Episode 151: Client-side Advanced Topics

    Episode 151: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast we’re covering Client-side advanced topics. Justin talks Joseph (and us) through Third-Party Cookie Nuances, Iframe Tricks, URL Parsing, and more.

    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!

    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme

    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!

    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.

    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!

    Today's Sponsor: ThreatLocker. Check out ThreatLocker Elevation Control

    https://ctbb.show/tl-ec

    ====== Resources ======

    Nowasky's Tweet #1

    https://x.com/nowaskyjr/status/1993421017381744974

    Nowasky's Tweet #2

    https://x.com/nowaskyjr/status/1992717862398800081

    rep+ in Chrome DevTools

    https://x.com/BourAbdelhadi/status/1992622964077179229

    Terjanq Post from 2021

    https://x.com/terjanq/status/1421093136022048775

    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:02:58) Client-side news & AI Updates

    (00:12:02) Third-Party Cookie Nuances & PostMessages

    (00:30:09) Iframe Tricks

    (00:47:43) URL Parsing, CSPTS, and Client-side Routes

    4 December 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 57 minutes 20 seconds
    Episode 150: ASP.NET MVC Patterns, Popping Oracle Identity, and Esoteric Subdomain Enumeration

    Episode 150: In this episode of Critical Thinking - Bug Bounty Podcast we're highlighting some cool news and research, but not before expressing our gratitude to the Hacker community. We are so thankful for you all!

    Follow us on twitter at: https://x.com/ctbbpodcast

    Got any ideas and suggestions? Feel free to send us any feedback here: [email protected]

    Shoutout to YTCracker for the awesome intro music!

    ====== Links ======

    Follow your hosts Rhynorater, rez0 and gr3pme on X:

    https://x.com/Rhynorater

    https://x.com/rez0__

    https://x.com/gr3pme

    ====== Ways to Support CTBBPodcast ======

    Hop on the CTBB Discord at https://ctbb.show/discord!

    We also do Discord subs at $25, $10, and $5 - premium subscribers get access to private masterclasses, exploits, tools, scripts, un-redacted bug reports, etc.

    You can also find some hacker swag at https://ctbb.show/merch!

    Today's Sponsor: ThreatLocker. Check out ThreatLocker Elevation Control

    https://ctbb.show/tl-ec

    ====== This Week in Bug Bounty ======

    Cache Overflow on Cloudflare

    ====== Resources ======

    Breaking Oracle’s Identity Manager

    Who Needs a Blind XSS?

    ASP.NET MVC View Engine Search Patterns

    Heretic

    Lesser known techniques for large-scale subdomain enum

    Antigravity – Known Issues

    Bug Bounty Daily

    Caido version of AssetNote Surf

    ====== Timestamps ======

    (00:00:00) Introduction

    (00:09:47) Breaking Oracle’s Identity Manager & Who Needs a Blind XSS?

    (00:20:37) ASP.NET MVC View Engine Search Patterns & Heretic

    (00:29:04) Lesser known techniques for large-scale subdomain enum

    (00:35:29) Gemini 3 & Antigravity.

    (00:45:57) Bug Bounty Daily

    (00:52:42) Surf for Caido

    27 November 2025, 4:00 pm
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