Testing Team
I joined a testing team for a popular streaming service.
It’s probably not a big deal but I’m treating it like one because I wanted to get myself testing more frequently. Now that I’m on a team we’re set somewhat first priority for this service’s tests. So far, they seem to pay more but much like the other tests, the timing of them is random. They do give you a heads up so you can plan, but you can expect some early mornings. The previous test I worked involved verifying the flow of creating a new account, taking screenshots of each screen, and taking notes of any inconsistent or outdated windows for a user signing up on their television. The idea was to make sure the experience didn’t include any surprises for the morning launch. As I do more of these, I’ll explain them better.
Now that I’ve dipped my toe in PortSwigger Academy I’ve been trying to think more outside the box about the sites/apps I test. I can’t say it has let me into any new bugs (I’ve really been sticking to test cases lately) but I enjoy the cleverness that comes along with some of these vulnerabilities. Here’s one that I think is cool.
Since my thoughts and my YouTube algorithm are filled with vulnerability topics, I have signed up for all the hacking websites and bug bounty programs that I could find (within reason). Initially it was just to expand my idea of what testing is but it evolved into me wanting to learn more about how the web works, how code works, and creating opportunities for myself to test the way that I wanted to test. UTest is great for what it has taught me, but the bulk of it is functional testing with strict rules (depending on the client) on how far you can step outside the box. So although I’m learning about SQLi, IDORs, command injection, directory traversal, etc on the side. That’s not what UTest is looking for from me. They want to know if the happy path works, is up to date, or contains any exceptions. And I want to test for all of the things, lol. But that’s not my role just yet. So, while I do my thing in UTest, I’ll cut my teeth on bug bounties.
Places I signed up for:
Clearly I have a problem. But this is the way I sort out what I like. I make a mess of accounts, dabble, and then hyperfocus on one.
…and then I do it all again