GitHub bug bounty researcher @vaib25vicky on picking targets and using AI
GitHub spotlights bug bounty researcher @vaib25vicky on choosing targets, verifying AI output, and the VIP program's payouts of up to $30,000 for critical findings.
GitHub has spotlighted one of its top bug bounty researchers, @vaib25vicky, in a Q&A published October 8, 2026, as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The researcher specializes in authorization and access control research, according to the company’s GitHub Bug Bounty team post.
The interview covers how @vaib25vicky chooses what to investigate — a question the researcher answers by rejecting bug-class checklists in favor of feature-first exploration.
Target choice: complexity first, then misuse
Asked about favorite classes of bugs, @vaib25vicky said they don’t hunt by bug class at all. “When I find a feature, I use it, understand how it works, and think of ways it could be misused to cause a security problem,” they said. “So the bug classes I test for depend on the feature itself.”
On picking a target area, the researcher said they look for something complex and hard to understand, and rely on experience to judge whether a feature is worth the time. If nothing interesting surfaces, they move on. Once something looks worth digging into, they keep using and exploring the feature “until something odd happens.”
Patience, they said, is part of the job — a lesson they wish they’d known earlier. “Early on I wish I’d known it’s normal to spend a long time on a target before finding anything.”
AI as a fast car that still needs a driver
@vaib25vicky confirmed using AI in their research, describing it as a time-saver and productivity boost. “It’s like a great assistant,” they said, adding that the shortfall is that “you still have to steer it. The way I see it, AI is like a really fast car, but it still needs a good driver.”
Their guidance for responsible AI use in bug bounty is blunt: always verify what the AI gives you, and never submit a finding you haven’t confirmed yourself.
On whether AI-powered features demand a different testing mindset, the researcher said some adjustment is needed, but that most bugs — including high-impact ones — remain authorization issues, weak guardrails, or overlooked capabilities, findable with the same mindset as traditional web bugs.
For staying current, @vaib25vicky follows individual researchers on X, company research blogs and bug bounty write-ups, plus Hacker News and security subreddits. Favorite sources named in the post include Google Project Zero, GitHub Security Lab, PortSwigger, and Hacker News.
The program context
GitHub said it restructured its bounty tables around a shift in incentives: researchers “don’t earn more by submitting more” but “by submitting better.” The company also formalized a permanent, invite-only VIP program, which offers payouts up to $30,000 or more for critical findings, faster response times, and early previews of beta products. GitHub said researchers with one critical, two high, four medium, or seven low-severity resolved findings may earn an invitation.
@vaib25vicky is on X at the same handle. Findings can be reported through HackerOne, GitHub said.
Sources
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