How does a top bug bounty hunter pick which GitHub features to attack?

The program that pays for depth, not volume

GitHub restructured its bounty tables this year around a single principle: you do not earn more by submitting more, you earn more by submitting better. The change introduced a permanent, invite-only VIP tier for researchers who consistently deliver high-quality, high-impact work. VIP members receive significantly higher payouts — up to $30,000 or more for critical findings — along with faster response times on submissions and early previews of beta products before public launch. The path to an invitation is explicit and published on the public bounty site: researchers who have one critical, two high, four medium, or seven low-severity resolved findings may earn entry.

How a researcher decides where to dig

@vaib25vicky specializes in authorization and access control. The approach starts with a feature that looks complex and hard to understand, not with a bug class. Experience helps spot whether a feature is worth time; if nothing interesting surfaces, the researcher moves on.

AI as a tool that still requires human verification

The researcher uses AI to save time and increase productivity, comparing it to a really fast car that still needs a good driver. Where AI falls short is steering — always verify what the AI gives you and never submit a finding you have not confirmed yourself. Patience is described as part of the job; spending a long time on a target before finding anything is normal. When not hacking, the researcher plays games and travels, and can be found on X at @vaib25vicky. Findings are reported through HackerOne.