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Operational doctrine spanning vulnerability research, forensic reconstruction, and legal-technical harmonization.

Methodology Register

Methodological Architecture

A technical canon aligning bug bounty research, forensic reconstruction, disclosure choreography, and legal synthesis under one evidentiary rubric.

Bug Bounty & Vulnerability Research

Alpha Vector Technologies conducts security research following industry best practices and responsible disclosure principles. Our methodology prioritizes:

Pre-Engagement Assessment

  • Verification of scope boundaries and authorized testing parameters
  • Review of program policies and disclosure timelines
  • Documentation of baseline system state before testing
  • Risk assessment of potential testing impacts

Testing Protocol

  • Non-destructive testing approaches prioritized
  • Minimal necessary privilege escalation
  • Complete logging of all testing activities
  • Immediate cessation upon discovering sensitive data exposure

Evidence Preservation

  • SHA-256 hashing of all collected evidence
  • Timestamped screenshots and recordings
  • Chain of custody documentation
  • Secure storage with access controls

Responsible Disclosure Protocol

01

Initial Report

Vulnerability details submitted through official channels within 24 hours of confirmation. Report includes technical description, reproduction steps, and impact assessment.

02

Coordination Window

Standard 90-day disclosure window following CERT guidelines. Extended timelines available for complex vulnerabilities requiring significant remediation.

03

Patch Verification

Upon patch release, independent verification that remediation effectively addresses the vulnerability without introducing new issues.

04

Public Disclosure

Post-patch disclosure coordinated with vendor. Technical details released to enable defensive measures while minimizing exploitation risk.

Forensic Reconstruction Techniques

Git Archaeology

Systematic analysis of version control history to reconstruct development decisions, identify testing gaps, and establish attribution.

  • Commit message analysis
  • Branch topology reconstruction
  • Code review trail examination
  • git bisect for bug introduction

Merkle Tree Verification

Cryptographic proof of log integrity using SHA-256 hash chains, ensuring tamper-evident audit trails.

  • Proof of inclusion verification
  • Consistency proof generation
  • Root hash comparison
  • FRE 902(14) compliance

eBPF System Telemetry

Kernel-level observability capturing system calls, file access, and network activity with sub-millisecond precision.

  • Real-time process monitoring
  • Syscall tracing
  • Network flow capture
  • Memory access patterns

Causal Inference Analysis

Mathematical frameworks establishing directed causation from system events to observed outcomes.

  • Transfer entropy calculation
  • Granger causality testing
  • Pearl’s do-calculus application
  • Counterfactual analysis

Legal-Technical Synthesis

Our methodology bridges the gap between technical findings and legal requirements, ensuring research outputs are admissible and compelling in legal proceedings.

Daubert Compliance

All technical methodologies are designed to satisfy the Supreme Court’s Daubert standard for expert testimony:

  • Testability: Methods produce falsifiable predictions that can be independently verified
  • Peer Review: Techniques grounded in peer-reviewed computer science and statistics literature
  • Known Error Rates: Statistical confidence intervals and false positive/negative rates documented
  • Standards: Adherence to NIST, IEEE, and ISO methodological standards
  • General Acceptance: Methods established in relevant scientific communities

Evidence Standards

Documentation and collection procedures designed for Federal Rules of Evidence compliance:

  • FRE 902(14) self-authentication for digital evidence
  • Chain of custody maintenance throughout analysis
  • Cryptographic integrity verification at all stages
  • Expert witness report formatting standards

Explore the primary research corpus

Detailed technical specifications for applying these methodologies in live engagements.