Bug bounty hunting has grown from a niche hobby to a legitimate cybersecurity career path. Among the many platforms that offer training for aspiring ethical hackers, Hack The Box (HTB) stands out for its hands-on, lab-based approach. Their Certified Bug Bounty Hunter (CBBH) certification is a relatively new but rapidly respected credential in the infosec community.

What is HackTheBox Certified Bug Bounty Hunter (CBBH)

The HTB Certified Bug Bounty Hunter is a practical, performance-based certification that validates your ability to find real-world web vulnerabilities across a range of modern technologies. It’s based on HTB’s “Bug Bounty Hunter” (BBH) learning path in their Academy, and the exam mirrors real-world scenarios you’d find on platforms like HackerOne or Bugcrowd.

Target Audience

Aspiring or intermediate bug bounty hunters

Junior pentesters wanting more web-focused skills

Developers or security engineers wanting a security-first mindset

HTB CBBH Exam

Overview

Format:

  • Practical exam (no multiple choice)
  • 7 Days limit
  • Web-based targets in a private exam lab
  • Report submission required for passing

Pass Requirement:

  • Identify and exploit at least 3 out of 5 vulnerabilities
  • Submit a professional-style report including reproduction steps and remediation advice

Cost:

  • Comes with HTB’s BBH learning path subscription
  • No standalone exam purchase currently (as of early 2025)

Preparation

  • Complete HTB’s Bug Bounty Hunter path on academy.hackthebox.com
  • Practice on HTB’s live boxes and retired web labs
  • Learn to write solid vulnerability reports

Scheduling

  • Schedule your exam through the Academy dashboard
  • Choose a date and time (flexible, 24/7 availability)

The Exam Window

  • You get 24 hours of uninterrupted access to your lab environment
  • All activity is over VPN, and logging is monitored
  • Notes, screenshots, and PoCs are critical—prepare as you go

Report Submission

  • After the exam, you get 48 hours to submit your report
  • Format: markdown or PDF (clear, professional style)
  • Required: reproduction steps, impact analysis, screenshots, mitigation advice

What You’re Tested On in HTB CBBH

You’ll face 5 real-world vulnerable web applications, each with one or more flaws. These aren’t basic “OWASP Top 10” toy examples. Expect hardened setups, defense-in-depth, and some rabbit holes.

Common Vulnerability Themes:

  • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (stored, reflected, DOM-based)
  • SQL Injection (including blind SQLi)
  • Broken Access Control (IDOR, privilege escalation)
  • CSRF
  • Server-Side Template Injection (SSTI)
  • Deserialization bugs
  • Business logic flaws
  • Authentication/authorization bypasses

Technologies Covered:

  • Web apps in Node.js, PHP, Python, etc.
  • Frontends with React, Angular, etc.
  • APIs (RESTful)
  • Cloud or container-based deployments (minimal focus)

Tips to Succeed in HTB CBBH Exam

  • Practice proper recon: Don’t rush to exploit—look for misconfigurations, hidden endpoints, and subtle logic flaws.
  • Think like a developer: The exam is more about bypassing logic than brute-forcing.
  • Document everything as you go: You’ll need this for your report. No partial credit if you forget how you did something.
  • Stay calm under pressure: You don’t need all 5 vulnerabilities—3 good ones can earn you the cert.
  • Use your HTB notes: HTB lets you use your Academy notes and knowledge base during the exam. Use them smartly.

HackTheBox HackTheBox Certified Bug Bounty Hunter Review

A solid, hands-on web security certification that’s worth it if you want to prove real-world bug bounty skills. Challenging, realistic, and practical — but not beginner-friendly.

Pros

✅ Realistic Exam Environment

You’re not solving CTF puzzles or chasing flags. You’re hacking actual web apps that feel like real targets you’d see on platforms like HackerOne. The 5 targets are diverse, hardened, and require creative thinking — not just automated scanning.

✅ Emphasis on Manual Skills

This isn’t a “run Burp Suite and copy the output” kind of exam. You need to:

  • Chain vulnerabilities
  • Understand web tech (modern frontends, APIs, auth flows)
  • Think like both an attacker and a developer
  • Write a solid report afterward
✅ High-Quality Training Path

The HTB Bug Bounty Hunter Academy path is legit. It’s well-structured and practical. Each module walks you through both the how and why of vulnerabilities, with interactive labs that actually prepare you for the exam.

✅ Report Writing Requirement

You don’t just hack — you write. This part is often missing in other certs. HTB requires a professional-style report, which is exactly what you’d need in a real bug bounty program. If you’re aiming for freelance bounty hunting or security consulting, this skill is key.

Cons

❌ Not Beginner Friendly

This cert is advertised as intermediate-level, and that’s accurate. If you’re brand new to web security or bug bounties, you’ll likely feel overwhelmed. You should be comfortable with:

  • Web fundamentals (HTTP, cookies, auth flows)
  • Reading JavaScript and backend code (basic)
  • Manually crafting requests and PoCs
❌ No Standalone Exam Option (Yet)

As of now, you must buy the HTB Academy subscription to access the CBBH exam — no one-off exam purchase. If you’re only interested in the cert and not the full learning path, this might feel like overkill (though the content is good).

❌ Limited Recognition (For Now)

CBBH is still new. It’s gaining respect in the offensive security space, especially among those who know HTB, but it’s not yet as widely recognized as OSCP or eLearnSecurity’s web certs. That said, the reputation is growing fast.

Final Verdict

The HTB Certified Bug Bounty Hunter is well-built, challenging, and highly practical. It’s one of the few certs that actually simulates what real bug bounty work looks like — from discovery to exploitation to reporting.

If you’re serious about web app security and want to demonstrate hands-on skill, it’s absolutely worth your time.

Get a Copy of HackTheBox Certified Bug Bounty Hunter Study Notes & Guide

Welcome to the HTB Certified Bug Bounty Hunter (CBBH) Guide. Whether you’re just starting your journey in ethical hacking or looking to refine your existing skills, this resource is structured to help you systematically prepare for, and ultimately pass, the HTB CBBH certification exam. Each section provides targeted insights, practical examples, and hands-on exercises tailored for real-world penetration testing and bug bounty activities.

Who Is This Guide For?

  • Aspiring penetration testers eager to build a strong foundation in web application security.
  • Security enthusiasts and professionals seeking a structured approach to web exploitation.
  • Hackers preparing for the HTB CBBH exam who want a reference that goes beyond theoretical concepts.

What to Expect

  • A step-by-step progression from fundamental web concepts to more advanced vulnerabilities and exploitation methods.
  • Numerous examples, references, and best practices to deepen your hands-on skills.
  • Guidance on key topics such as passive and active reconnaissance, JavaScript deobfuscation, XSS, SQL injection, and much more.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Purpose of This Book
  • About the Authors
  • Preparation
  • Course Material
  • Exam
  • Other Resources for Preparation
  • Tips for Success
  • Common Pitfalls to Avoid
  • Information Gathering Techniques in Cybersecurity
  • JavaScript Deobfuscation
  • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
  • SQL Injection
  • Command Injection
  • Login Brute Forcing
  • Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
  • SSTI Exploitation
  • File Upload Vulnerabilities
  • File Inclusion
  • Security Misconfigurations
  • Automated Web Application Scanners
  • Closing Words

Page count: 108

Format: PDF & Markup

Testimonials (LinkedIn)

How to buy the study notes?

You can buy the booklet directly by clicking on the button below

After you buy the booklet, you will be able to download the PDF booklet along with the markup files if you want to import them to Obsidian software.

What about the notes updates?

if you have been watching my YouTube Channel, you definitely know that those who subscribe to the second tier of my channel membership they instantly get access to a vast catalog of cybersecurity, penetration testing, digital marketing, system administration and data analytics notes catalog for 10$ along with the ability to receive all notes updates as long as they are subscribed so what does that mean?

This means if you want to stay up to date with the changes and updates to the notes and get access to other categories, I encourage to join the channel membership second tier instead. However, if you are fine with downloading the current version of this section of the notes then you can buy this booklet instead for a one-time payment.

Will the prices of this booklet change in the future?

Once another version of this booklet is released, which it will, the price will slightly change as the booklet will include more contents, notes and illustrations.

Conclusion

The Hack The Box Certified Bug Bounty Hunter exam is tough but fair. It rewards methodical, curious, and skilled testers. If you’ve put in the time on the HTB platform and know how to think creatively about web security, you’ll find the exam challenging but doable.

In a field crowded with multiple-choice certifications, HTB CBBH stands out as a practical, hands-on badge of real-world ability.

Free Web Applications Penetration Testing Training

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