Hackers Are After the Gaps in Your Vulnerability Program: Here's Their Playbook

Summary

A threat actor known as "Hercules" posted a tutorial on underground forums breaking down vulnerability exploitation into accessible steps for beginners, covering scanning, detection, assessment, exploitation, and monetization. The post gained significant traction across multiple forums, with novice attackers seeking guidance on applying theoretical knowledge to practical hacking. The tutorial's effectiveness lies in lowering the technical barrier to entry by emphasizing publicly available tools like Nuclei and automation, rather than requiring advanced programming skills.

Full text

Hackers Are After the Gaps in Your Vulnerability Program: Here's Their Playbook Sponsored by Flare June 4, 2026 10:01 AM 0 A forum thread titled “Hacking for Profit. Working method” offers a rare glance into how underground communities pass information about vulnerability exploitation and hacking techniques in a form of tutorial. The post, written by an actor using the name "Hercules", is not especially long or technical."Its value lies in breaking down a complex process into clear, actionable steps. It covers how to scan, detect, assess, exploit, and monetize vulnerabilities in the wild, while also offering rare insight into the significance of vulnerability disclosure programs." Flare researchers analyzed the original post along with the responses over a period of a few months. The activity around the thread shows that its influence was not limited to the original post. Multiple users thanked "Hercules", asked to connect privately, described themselves as beginners, or said they wanted guidance on how to move from theoretical learning to practical hacking. The response around the thread suggests that "Hercules" did more than describe a method. This post was so popular that the same method was reposted and discussed across four additional forums. The threat actor gives novice threat actors a simple framework for understanding vulnerability exploitation and how to gain money from it. The initial post. Screenshot taken from Flare's platform.Sign up for the free trial to access if you aren’t already a customer. What the Tutorial Shows "Hercules" explains how to monetize a vulnerability discovery in the wild. He begins with advice on how to search for newly disclosed vulnerabilities, especially high-impact classes such as remote code execution, authentication bypass, account takeover, IDOR, and data exposure. He then moves to identifying exposed systems, validating whether those systems may be vulnerable, and deciding whether the results should be reported, sold, or exploited. Three aspects stand out in the threat actor’s tutorial: The usage of the Nuclei framework by projectdiscovery.io, which is highly popular among offensive security practitioners. The understanding of the challenges defenders have when patching newly discovered vulnerabilities. These topics are further discussed in an educational blog by Yakir Kadkoda and Ilay Goldman in the “50 shades of vulnerabilities: Uncovering Flaws in Open-Source Vulnerability Disclosure”. The tutorial is divided into “legal” and “illegal” parts. Meaning the reader can stop at any stage and decide to move from vulnerability disclosure to hacking. See What Threat Actors See Underground forums are actively teaching novice hackers to scan for, exploit, and monetize your vulnerabilities. Flare monitors thousands of dark web sources, including the forums where these tutorials spread, so your team can detect exposure before attackers act on it. Get a glimpse into the Dark Web for free Accessibility as the Main Selling Point The most effective part of the tutorial is not a technical trick. It is the tone. "Hercules" writes in plain language and presents the process as something that can be learned through action. He argues that many tutorials focus too much on computer science, operating systems, programming, or scanner parameters, while beginners want to "hack," "break in," and "gain access." He also suggests that users do not need to be advanced software engineers to begin. Public tools, community templates, automation, and even AI assistance are presented as ways to reduce the barrier, while programming skills are described as useful but not mandatory. The underlying message is simple: the technical gap is smaller than beginners think. That message explains much of the forum response. One user said they had finished many hacking courses but still could not apply them in the real world. Another said they did not even know how to program and asked whether that would be a problem. Others asked "Hercules" to contact them privately, said they wanted to learn under his guidance, or praised the post as clear and well structured. Screenshot from the closing section of the method, where “Hercules” uses his personal hacking experience to frame practical action as more valuable than theory and invites readers to contact him for guidance. The Monetization Layer The most intriguing part of the method is the monetization logic. "Hercules" describes several actions his “students” can take once a vulnerability is discovered: Approach the owner of the server/website or hosting company and ask for payment in exchange for vulnerability information. Hercules even says that some people will provide payment in exchange for vulnerability disclosure and also says “…you can take your money home and be proud of yourself”. Offer the finding on the underground markets. "Hercules" even suggests that an actor could approach the victim and sell the information elsewhere at the same time. Exploit the vulnerability and detect what’s on the server. Remote code execution can become access sold to botnet operators, used for illicit resource abuse, or leveraged for data theft. Account takeover, IDOR, and data leak vulnerabilities are framed as assets that can be sold quickly. "Hercules" describes himself as a hacker rather than a fraudster, preferring to sell quickly instead of conducting downstream fraud. The Forum Reaction: Demand for Practical Mentorship The replies show that the post resonated because it offered experience and confidence, not just information. Users repeatedly asked for private contact, mentorship, and additional guidance. Some were blocked by forum limitations and said they could not send private messages yet. Others described the post as a useful starting point and waited for follow-up material. Following are some replies from the thread: Screenshots taken from the thread in the forum This long tail of engagement is significant. A sophisticated exploit write-up may attract technical readers, but a simple, motivational workflow can attract a broader audience. It can remain relevant for months because it does not depend on one specific vulnerability. It teaches a reusable mindset: monitor new flaws, find exposed systems, validate, monetize, and repeat. From a threat intelligence perspective, that makes the thread valuable even without unique indicators. It reveals how new actors are taught to think, what vulnerability classes they are encouraged to prioritize, and how experienced forum members convert curiosity into participation. The post is also a soft recruitment channel, with "Hercules" repeatedly inviting users to contact him privately. Why This Matters for Defenders This tutorial calls attention to three aspects in a vulnerability program. Critical and reachable vulnerabilities are highly targeted. We don’t need a post in the underground to know that. There are many automated botnets in the wild that are updated minutes after newly vulnerabilities are disclosed and PoCs are released. But even novice hackers are being trained today that these are high-valued targets. The long tail of old vulnerabilities also matters. These legacy servers, old Drupal or WordPress sites with 2019 vulnerabilities will also be exploited by novice hackers. Your paid vulnerability disclosure program matters. If they get paid, they will probably have more motivation to disclose the vulnerability. Even if they sell it on the dark web, once they disclosed the vulnerability, you will probably mitigate the risks. Beyond "Hercules" The thread is not important because it introduces a new hacking technique. It is important because it demonstrates how cybercrime scales through simplification. "Hercules" takes a complex topic and turns it into a practical business workflow that beginners can understand. The replies show that this approach works: users who were unsure, inexperienced, or frustrated by theory responded with interest. Cybercriminal capabilit

Indicators of Compromise

• domain — projectdiscovery.io

Entities