Hacker TLDR;

• Announcements, 2024 Hacker Stats & 2025 Goals: We’ve got a slightly different HackerNotes for you this time. We’re keeping it short and sweet with two new CTBB announcements and a template to reflect on your 2024 bug bounty hunter personal inventory and 2025 goals. Let’s jump in.

- Announcements

Critical Thinking Full-Time Bug Bounty Hunters guild: We’ve got a brand new bug bounty guild for ya’ll. If you’re a full-time hunter or make $100k+ as a part-time hunter, you can apply. Expect access to a bunch of perks, community and accountability - check out the full details here: ctbb.show/ft

Critical Thinking Research Lab: We’re launching a research lab! It’s no secret that some of the best episodes on the pod are when some fresh, new research is being dropped for the first time. You can find out more here: ctbb.show/crl

- Bug Bounty Hunter Year Review Template

This template is designed for you to copy and paste into your go to note-taking platform. Take some time to reflect thoughtfully and fill it out honestly to get the most out of it.

It’ll help produce some meaningful insights and set clear goals for the upcoming year.

2024 Bug Bounty Hunter: Personal Inventory

What moments/bugs were most fulfilling to you as a bug hunter in 2024 and why?

Were these moments when you found the bug? Or when you got the bounty?

Looking back on your 2024 bug bounty performance, were you satisfied with:

• The number of bugs:

• The impact of bugs:

• The kind of bugs you are finding:

• The scope you are working on:

• The quality of your reports:

• The programs you were working with:

Are you happy with your current levels of…

• Automation:

• Organization:

• Collaboration:

• Amount of time you can put into bug bounty:

• Motivation:

What is your overall goal for bug bounty?

What are your weaknesses as a hacker? Should we try to remediate these?

What are your strengths as a hacker? Should we try to utilize these more?

2025 Bug Bounty Hunter: Goals

What area (if any) would I like to grow in as a hacker?

Who (if anyone) would I like to collaborate with?

How much time per week (on average) would I like to hack?

How will I manage my hacker motivation in 2025?

How much money would I like to earn?

How many bugs would I like to submit?

What would I like my severity distribution to be?

What programs/platforms would I like to hack on?

What automation (if any) will I work on?

What research (if any) would I like to do?

What (if anything) would I like to contribute to the community?

And that’s it for this week’s drop.

As always, keep hacking!