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I would definitely recommend study Ethical Hacking at Abertay. It serves as a solid foundation, allowing you to gain an understanding of ethical hacking and its various disciplines. With this broad knowledge base, you can then focus your efforts and resources on the specific areas that interest you the most.Jack Cavar | Abertay University | BSc (Hons) Ethical Hacking
A soon-to-be Abertay University graduate has developed a groundbreaking new app to help the public fight back against scammers who are using dodgy QR codes to steal personal data.
For his fourth year Honours project, BSc (Hons) Ethical Hacking student Jack Cavar developed a prototype QR (Quick Response) code scanner designed to warn users of malicious QR code phishing attempts.
As QR codes become more common in public spaces, hackers are increasingly taking advantage by hiding phishing links behind them. Known as ‘quishing’ (QR phishing), the aim is often to steal username and password data.
While scanning tools with the ability to detect malicious links do exist, Jack says few give the same level of detail on the threat posed to a user as the application he has developed.
Instead of a one-stop answer, his custom-built app, which is powered using AI, is able to give potential victims feedback on the type of threat posed by the link behind a malicious QR code.
The app was on display as part of the 2024 Abertay Digital Graduate Show (ADGS) where Jack won The Jody Gallagher Award for Innovation for his work.
In making the tool, Jack had to create both a machine learning model, which determines if QR codes are malicious or not, and develop the Android app for scanning and displaying results.
The 21-year-old, who is from Aberdeen, hopes the prototype will help people better guard themselves from hacking and phishing attempts on their mobile phones.
Malicious QR codes are quite a large issue today. You can see QR codes absolutely everywhere. They are on leaflets, flyers and lamp posts out in public. The main category of QR code that I have found to be malicious are ones that are placed somewhere completely randomly - on a street, for example. It might be a sticker and it doesn’t tell you where it actually leads. People will actually go up and just scan one of these QR codes. Most of the time it will lead to something called a phishing website which will look legitimate, it may look very much like a Google log-in form, but in fact this website is trying to steal your username and password to put into a malicious database to access your account.
Jack, who will graduate on Friday, now hopes to build on his Abertay degree, and the success of his QR code scanner, by finding work where he can integrate cyber security and machine learning.
You can download Jack’s QR code scanner here.
