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July 17, 2026

IDOR simple way with no burpsuite banged P3

Bug bounty hunting doesn’t always require fancy tools or complicated payloads. Sometimes, all it takes is paying attention to small…

By Sai Jayanth

1 min read

Bug bounty hunting doesn't always require fancy tools or complicated payloads. Sometimes, all it takes is paying attention to small details.

After taking a short break from hunting, I decided to get back into Bugcrowd. Like always, I started with the basics instead of jumping into advanced testing.

One thing I love testing is the profile section. Developers usually focus on authentication but sometimes miss authorization checks.

None

What is IDOR?

IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) happens when an application lets you access another user's data by simply changing an identifier like an ID, filename, or number.

For example, if you can change:

profilE/3

to

profile/2

and see someone else's profile without permission, that's an IDOR.The same idea applies to images, documents, invoices, and many other files.

The Discovery

While testing a program (redacted for responsible disclosure), I noticed that every user's profile picture had a URL ending with something like:

4.jpg

Out of curiosity, I changed it manually in my browser to:

3.jpg

The image loaded.

Then I tried:

2.jpg

It worked again.

Finally:

1.jpg

And that's when I realized something was wrong.

Instead of getting an error, I could see the user's older profile pictures. The application wasn't checking whether I was allowed to access those historical images.

No Burp Suite.

No scripts.

No automation.

Just changing one number in the URL.

Impact

Although it was "just profile pictures," these images were supposed to be private after users changed them.

Exposing historical avatars can leak personal information and violate user privacy.

Reporting

I documented the issue with clear reproduction steps and screenshots and submitted it through the bug bounty program.

After review, the report was accepted and rewarded as a P3.

Lesson Learned

Never ignore simple things.

Many valid bugs are found just by asking:

  • What happens if I change this number?
  • Can I access another user's file?
  • Does the application actually check my permissions?

Sometimes, a single number is all it takes to find a valid vulnerability.

If you enjoy real-world bug bounty write-ups and recon tips, follow my journey:

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@0xsaisec

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Happy Hunting! 🚀🐞