Communicating with Security Teams

Bug bounty is a relationship business. How you communicate affects your reputation, resolution speed, and ultimately your earnings.

The Triage Process

Report Submitted
      ↓
Initial Triage (24-72 hours)
      ↓
Validation & Reproduction
      ↓
Severity Assessment
      ↓
Fix Development
      ↓
Bounty Determination
      ↓
Payment & Closure

Average Timeline: 30-90 days from submission to payment

Response Types

Status	Meaning	Your Action
Triaged	Being reviewed	Wait patiently
Need More Info	Missing details	Respond quickly
Duplicate	Already reported	Accept gracefully
Informational	Low/no impact	Consider escalation
Resolved	Bug fixed	Verify and close
Bounty Awarded	Payment coming	Celebrate!

Professional Communication

Initial Responses

Do:

"Thank you for the quick triage. Happy to provide any additional
information needed. I've attached a video demonstration that
shows the full attack chain."

Don't:

"Why is this taking so long? This is clearly critical and
you're ignoring it. I'll disclose publicly if you don't respond."

Requesting Updates

"Hi team, it's been 3 weeks since my last update on report #12345.
Could you provide a status update when convenient? I understand
security teams are busy—just want to ensure this didn't fall
through the cracks. Thanks!"

Disagreeing with Severity

"Thank you for the assessment. I respectfully disagree with the
Medium rating for the following reasons:

1. The vulnerability allows access to PII of all users
2. No user interaction required
3. Attack can be automated at scale

I believe this meets the criteria for High severity per your
program policy. Would you be open to reconsidering?"

Handling Disputes

Duplicate Claims

# Professional response:
"I understand this may have been reported before. Could you share
approximately when the original report was submitted? If it was
reported after my submission date of [DATE], I'd appreciate a
second look. If it was indeed first, I accept the duplicate status."

Severity Disputes

Steps:

1. Re-read the program policy
2. Gather additional impact evidence
3. Present calmly with facts
4. Accept final decision

N/A or Won't Fix

"Thank you for the response. I understand this is considered
acceptable risk for your program. For my learning, could you
share what would need to be different for this to be in scope?
This helps me submit better reports in the future."

Bounty Negotiation

When to Negotiate

• Impact clearly exceeds the payout
• Attack chain creates critical impact
• Significant effort was required
• Similar bugs paid more elsewhere

How to Negotiate

"Thank you for the $500 bounty offer. I'd like to respectfully
request reconsideration based on:

1. This vulnerability affects all 500K premium users
2. The attack chain (IDOR + info leak) enables full ATO
3. Similar bugs on your program (ref #1234) were paid $2,000

Would you consider increasing the bounty to better reflect
the impact? I'm happy to discuss further."

When NOT to Negotiate

• Clear program guidelines exist
• Impact is actually low
• You've already pushed back once
• The offer is fair

Building Relationships

Long-term Mindset

Week 1: Submit quality report → Professional communication
Week 4: Bug fixed → Thank them for quick resolution
Month 3: Submit another bug → Reference previous positive interaction
Year 1: Invited to private program → Relationship pays off

Standing Out

Action	Impact
Quick responses	Faster resolution
Detailed reports	Less back-and-forth
Suggesting fixes	Shows expertise
Accepting gracefully	Builds trust
Thanking the team	Remembered positively

Post-Resolution

"Thanks for the $X bounty! I really appreciated:
- The quick initial triage
- Clear communication throughout
- Fair severity assessment

Looking forward to finding more bugs for you. Let me know if
you'd ever like to invite me to private programs."

Communication Channels

Channel	Use For
Platform comments	Most communication
Email	Escalations, sensitive info
Twitter/X	Public kudos (after resolution)
Discord/Slack	If program offers it

Red Flags (What NOT to Do)

1. Public disclosure threats: Career killer
2. Aggressive language: Gets you banned
3. Spamming updates: Annoys triage
4. Lying about impact: Destroys trust
5. Multiple accounts: Platform ban

Templates

Thank You Message

"Bug resolved and bounty received—thank you! The fix looks
solid. I'll keep hunting on your program."

Update Request

"Hi! Checking in on report #12345 submitted on [DATE].
Any updates on validation status? Happy to provide
additional info if needed."

Escalation (Last Resort)

"I've attempted to resolve this through normal channels over
the past 60 days without response. Before considering other
options, I wanted to escalate to ensure this reaches the
appropriate team. The vulnerability remains exploitable and
affects user data."

Pro Tip: Security teams remember researchers who are professional and easy to work with. That reputation leads to private program invites, higher bounties, and faster triages.

Next, we'll cover building your reputation in the bug bounty community. :::