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Tips for Testing Account Takeover (ATO) Vulnerabilities
Account Takeover is one of the highest-impact bugs in bug bounty and real-world attacks. If you're testing web apps, these areas deserve extra attention
Password Reset Flows
Look closely at email parameters, token handling, and edge cases. Small logic flaws here can lead to full account compromise.
Social Sign-On (SSO)
Check how email scope and identity mapping are handled. Weak validation in OAuth flows often opens doors to ATO.
Password / Email Change Functions Always inspect backend requests. Missing verification or improper checks can allow unauthorized changes.
Sign-Up Logic
Test for duplicate emails, race conditions, and third-party sign-ups that can later be linked to existing accounts.
Mindset Tip:
ATO bugs are rarely about payloads - they're about logic, flow, and trust assumptions.
Save this checklist and use it during your next hunt
Account Takeover is one of the highest-impact bugs in bug bounty and real-world attacks. If you're testing web apps, these areas deserve extra attention
Password Reset Flows
Look closely at email parameters, token handling, and edge cases. Small logic flaws here can lead to full account compromise.
Social Sign-On (SSO)
Check how email scope and identity mapping are handled. Weak validation in OAuth flows often opens doors to ATO.
Password / Email Change Functions Always inspect backend requests. Missing verification or improper checks can allow unauthorized changes.
Sign-Up Logic
Test for duplicate emails, race conditions, and third-party sign-ups that can later be linked to existing accounts.
Mindset Tip:
ATO bugs are rarely about payloads - they're about logic, flow, and trust assumptions.
Save this checklist and use it during your next hunt