hunt-captcha-bypass

Autonomous Testing Priority

The fastest test: just omit the CAPTCHA field entirely. Most CAPTCHA bypass bugs are client-side-only validation.

Pattern 1 — Omit the CAPTCHA field (most common, most automatable):

1. GET the form/endpoint that shows a CAPTCHA to understand its field name (usually g-recaptcha-response, captcha, captcha_token, captcha_answer, h-captcha-response)
2. POST the form with ALL fields EXCEPT the CAPTCHA field
3. If the action succeeds (200, redirect, or "success" message) → no server-side CAPTCHA validation
4. Proof: the state-changing action completes without a valid CAPTCHA field (compare against a baseline request that includes it)

Pattern 2 — Empty or null CAPTCHA value: Instead of omitting the field entirely, include it with an empty string, null, 0, or undefined:

captcha=&email=test@example.com&password=test123

Some apps validate field presence but not content.

Pattern 3 — Replay a previously solved CAPTCHA token:

1. Complete one legitimate CAPTCHA challenge and capture the g-recaptcha-response token
2. Submit a second request immediately with the SAME token value
3. If the second submission also succeeds → token is not single-use (replay attack)
4. A replayed token can be shared across automated requests

Pattern 4 — Test without CAPTCHA on similar endpoints: Some apps add CAPTCHA to the registration form but forget the password reset, API endpoint, or mobile API path (/api/register vs /register). Try the same action via the API path without any CAPTCHA field.

Pattern 5 — Rate/throughput-gated "prove you're automated" challenges: Some apps define CAPTCHA "bypass" as simply exceeding the rate a human could plausibly sustain — e.g. "N submissions within T seconds" — checked by a middleware that counts REQUESTS REACHING the route, not successful outcomes. Garbage/placeholder payloads satisfy this exactly as well as valid ones, since the counter increments regardless of whether the request's own validation passes.

Timing note (sliding-window counters): don't solve this one request at a time — a sequential pace (seconds between each request) structurally cannot land N requests inside a short sliding window, and issuing more requests serially does not fix it. A typical failing pattern is 12 requests spread across ~250 seconds when the check requires ~10 requests within 20 seconds. Instead fire the requests concurrently (e.g. "concurrency": N on a single request call, or any parallel-request primitive your tooling offers, with N >= the required count) so they arrive simultaneously and satisfy the sliding window trivially. Check the endpoint's own required-field validation first (e.g. a rating field that can't be null) so the concurrent payload is at least well-formed enough to reach the counting middleware, even if other fields (like the CAPTCHA answer itself) are wrong or reused.

What to skip in automated testing: Solving real reCAPTCHA/hCaptcha programmatically (OCR, audio bypass) requires external services. Only attempt if patterns 1-4 fail and the test budget allows.

Proof: Any successful state-changing action (account created, login succeeded, form submitted) that completed without a valid CAPTCHA token confirms the bypass.

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Vulnerability Classes in This Skill

1. Client-Side-Only CAPTCHA Validation

JavaScript hides/disables the submit button until CAPTCHA is solved, but the server never checks the CAPTCHA token. Direct API calls bypass the UI gate entirely.

2. CAPTCHA Not Tied to Session or Action

A token solved for login is accepted on the registration endpoint (or any other). The server validates "is this a real CAPTCHA solution?" but not "is this the right solution for THIS action?".

3. Single-Use Not Enforced

CAPTCHA tokens (especially reCAPTCHA v2) are meant to be consumed after one use. If the server doesn't revoke them after verification, a single human-solved token becomes reusable for many requests.

4. CAPTCHA Added Reactively (Only After N Failures)

Some apps only show CAPTCHA after 3-5 failed login attempts. Before that threshold, no CAPTCHA is required → an attacker can make N-1 attempts per account indefinitely by resetting state between attempts.

5. Static or Predictable CAPTCHA

Math CAPTCHAs (3 + 4 = ?), simple image CAPTCHAs, or text CAPTCHAs with a finite answer set can be automated. These are custom CAPTCHA implementations, not Google/hCaptcha.

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Impact Chain

CAPTCHA bypass alone: Medium (enables automation of rate-limited actions)

CAPTCHA bypass + login endpoint = brute force gate removed → chain with hunt-brute-force → High/Critical

CAPTCHA bypass + registration endpoint = account farming → abuse, spam, resource exhaustion

CAPTCHA bypass + password reset = token flooding → chain with hunt-forgot-password

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Related Skills

• hunt-brute-force — CAPTCHA is often the only rate-limit gate; bypass unlocks brute force
• hunt-forgot-password — reset endpoints sometimes protected by CAPTCHA only
• hunt-race-condition — race the CAPTCHA validation window (submit before the token is revoked)