In the competitive and fast-paced world of hacking, recognition as the “Top P1 Hacker” carries significant weight. This year, Bugcrowd’s Ingenuity Awards bestowed this prestigious title upon priyanshuxo. This accolade is a testament to his exceptional skill in uncovering critical vulnerabilities. In this blog, priyanshuxo offers profound insights into his philosophy and process, as well as hackers’ impactful contributions to global security.
For priyanshuxo, the title is more than just simple praise. “Being recognized as the Top P1 Hacker is incredibly humbling and deeply motivating,” he says. He believes it is not merely a label but rather a profound acknowledgment. “It reflects the persistence, creativity, and countless hours I have spent analyzing complex systems to uncover critical vulnerabilities.” He emphasizes the unseen dedication involved, stating, “It acknowledges the quiet work behind the scenes—the long nights, the dead ends, all driven by a commitment to making systems more secure.”
Ultimately, he feels this recognition underscores a vital truth: “[It] shows that impactful work, even when done silently, does not go unnoticed.” He also expresses gratitude to his collaborators and the Bugcrowd Platform itself, saying, “I’d like to sincerely thank dmatrix; we’ve collaborated on many P1 submissions, and I’ve learned a great deal from him. I also want to thank Bugcrowd for providing one of the best and most rewarding platforms in the bug bounty space.”
When asked about his methodology for identifying critical (P1) vulnerabilities, priyanshuxo reveals a peek into methodology. “My approach is rooted in curiosity and the need to understand how an application works and then breaking it apart,” he explains. This involves meticulous analysis of a target, dissecting how it works, clarifying its business logic, and identifying what data or features are the most sensitive for a company. Based on this foundation, he models potential threats, such as abuse scenarios and edge cases, and simulates how a real attacker might break things. He highlights key areas of focus, noting, “I pay close attention to common misconfigurations, sensitive PII disclosures, access control flaws, and poorly implemented integrations.” Reconnaissance is crucial, but he stresses the importance of perseverance, “as many P1s are buried deep under layers that require patience and lateral thinking to uncover.”
When asked about a particularly compelling P1 discovery from the past year that exemplifies his approach, priyanshuxo shared the following:
One of the most critical and interesting P1s I found involved abusing the account request flow to gain unauthorized admin access to enterprise environments. The platform allowed users to request access to a given organization. Normally, these requests would be reviewed and approved by organization administrators. However, I discovered that the approval mechanism was poorly implemented.
The exploit was alarmingly simple. When priyanshuxo submitted a request, the system returned a request UUID. By crafting a follow-up API call using this UUID, priyanshuxo was able to approve his own request, effectively adding himself to the target organization without any review. In this case, he could even escalate to acquire admin privilege without that organization’s approval. He believes that what made this bug stand out was its elusive nature: “It was pure trust exploitation, made possible by a critical lack of authorization on the follow-up API call, which wasn’t properly protected or bound to admin-only privileges.”
When it comes to tools and resources, priyanshuxo relies on a blend of manual techniques and specialized utilities. “I rely heavily on manual testing, and Burp Suite is the best tool out there for that,” he says. He also leverages personalized solutions: “I also make use of custom-built scripts that are tailored to my workflow.” For reconnaissance, he relies on several key tools, like httpx, amass, waymore, and gau, which help surface hidden endpoints and legacy assets. Beyond technical aids, continuous learning is paramount: “I read a lot, including write-ups from other hackers, publicly disclosed reports, API documentations, and changelogs.” He finds social media valuable for staying current, noting, “Platforms like Twitter/X are great for staying in the loop on emerging techniques and attack surfaces.”
The broader impact of his work is a central theme for priyanshuxo. “I believe my work contributes directly to improving the real-world security posture of organizations,” he asserts. He sees his role as preventive, stating, “By identifying critical flaws before adversaries can exploit them, I help teams close gaps that automated tools or surface-level scans often miss.” He feels that each successful report has a ripple effect, as each valid report not only fixes a vulnerability but often improves an organization’s entire security model. This leads to stronger systems and greater user confidence: “Whether it’s an insecure authorization flow or a broken access control, it pushes the product toward being more resilient, both technically and in how it handles user trust. That’s a meaningful impact.”
For aspiring hackers aiming to uncover more P1 vulnerabilities, priyanshuxo offers sage advice: “Stop chasing volume and start chasing depth.” He emphasizes that critical flaws are rarely superficial. Instead, they usually come from understanding how a system is designed and where logic breaks down. His methodology involves meticulous observation: “Read every response, header, and error. Map out the entire flow like an attacker would.” Additionally, he encourages a proactive and independent mindset: “Don’t rely only on public tools; instead, build your own scripts when needed. Reverse engineer mobile apps, decode tokens, and read JavaScript files. Treat every endpoint as a potential entry point.” Above all, he stresses patience: “P1s take time, creativity, and persistence, but the payoff—both in learning and impact—is worth it.”
To conclude, priyanshuxo underscores the critical importance of organizations swiftly addressing P1 vulnerabilities, as these issues pose immediate and severe threats. With conviction, he states, “These issues often represent direct paths to data breaches, account takeovers, or infrastructure compromise.” He warns that exploitation can be surprisingly straightforward: “In many cases, exploitation requires no special access but just knowledge and timing.” The risk escalates with inaction, as the longer a P1 remains unpatched, the greater the risk. He also highlights broader implications beyond the technical risk, such as reputational and regulatory exposure. For priyanshuxo, rapid response to P1s is not merely good practice but a fundamental necessity: “Prioritizing and acting on critical vulnerabilities isn‘t just best practice; it’s essential for protecting both organizations and their users.”