Davis County high school students are hacking the hackers behind phishing schemes
pSCIENCE TECHNOLOGYppJun 3 2024 500 AMppFrom left to right
Regan Hosea Jordan Kingston Charles Mortensen A group of high school juniors in Davis County are hacking the hackers to protect phishing victims using a program called VEGA Don BrinkerhoffKSL NewsRadioppDon BrinkerhoffKSL NewsRadioppBY DON BRINKERHOFFppReporterProducerppDAVIS COUNTY Utah A group of high school juniors in Davis County are hacking the hackers to protect phishing victimsppAll my friends and peers around me got hacked said Charles Mortensen a Davis County studentppMortensen said in one case a friend whos in foster care had her Instagram account hacked That was the only way she could contact her mom So Mortensen decided to do something about it and created VEGAppWhat the victim does is they type in the username and password and then it gives it to the hacker Mortensen said What VEGA does is it does the exact same thing but instead it sends just fake informationppMortensen said he does this just using his laptopppI can take about 30 sites down within a month if Im able to get a whole bunch of computers which Im trying to do he said I can make a whole entire system that can take down probably thousands of phishing sites in a monthppHe said the way VEGA works is by feeding the hacker false informationpp pp ppPhoto credit Charles MortensenppWhat it essentially does is it sends fake usernames and passwords So the hacker cannot tell what passwords and usernames are real or not Mortensen said I can send about half a million requests to one hacker within a night I just let VEGA run overnight and then normally when I wake up the website is shut downppHes a student at the Davis Catalyst Center and after writing the first version of VEGA he asked his friends Regan Hosea and Jordan Kingston to help him make it work betterppMortensens goal is to get someone to sponsor him so he can get more computers and create a system that could potentially take down thousands of phishing sites a monthppDon Brinkerhoff is a reporter and producer for KSL NewsRadioppFollow KSLdbrinkerhoffppHave a story idea or tip Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team hereppCassidy Wixom KSLcompp
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Regan Hosea Jordan Kingston Charles Mortensen A group of high school juniors in Davis County are hacking the hackers to protect phishing victims using a program called VEGA Don BrinkerhoffKSL NewsRadioppDon BrinkerhoffKSL NewsRadioppBY DON BRINKERHOFFppReporterProducerppDAVIS COUNTY Utah A group of high school juniors in Davis County are hacking the hackers to protect phishing victimsppAll my friends and peers around me got hacked said Charles Mortensen a Davis County studentppMortensen said in one case a friend whos in foster care had her Instagram account hacked That was the only way she could contact her mom So Mortensen decided to do something about it and created VEGAppWhat the victim does is they type in the username and password and then it gives it to the hacker Mortensen said What VEGA does is it does the exact same thing but instead it sends just fake informationppMortensen said he does this just using his laptopppI can take about 30 sites down within a month if Im able to get a whole bunch of computers which Im trying to do he said I can make a whole entire system that can take down probably thousands of phishing sites in a monthppHe said the way VEGA works is by feeding the hacker false informationpp pp ppPhoto credit Charles MortensenppWhat it essentially does is it sends fake usernames and passwords So the hacker cannot tell what passwords and usernames are real or not Mortensen said I can send about half a million requests to one hacker within a night I just let VEGA run overnight and then normally when I wake up the website is shut downppHes a student at the Davis Catalyst Center and after writing the first version of VEGA he asked his friends Regan Hosea and Jordan Kingston to help him make it work betterppMortensens goal is to get someone to sponsor him so he can get more computers and create a system that could potentially take down thousands of phishing sites a monthppDon Brinkerhoff is a reporter and producer for KSL NewsRadioppFollow KSLdbrinkerhoffppHave a story idea or tip Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team hereppCassidy Wixom KSLcompp
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One Utah scientist weighs in on study about possible evidence of alien megastructures He thinks there may be a simpler answer pp3 days agoppAlexandrea Bonillapp
The new dinosaur is called Lokiceratops rangiformis aka the giant horned dinosaur It was discovered in northern Montana pp4 days agoppCurt Gressethpp
A Utah lawmaker joins the show to discuss a possible return of photo radar to bust speeders pp7 days agoppJeff Caplanpp
The women are artificial The prize money is real pp10 days agoppJessica Lowellpp
ATT was partially down for customers nationwide on Tuesday as they were unable to make calls to nonATT users pp20 days agopp
Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau pp
Bear Lake offers yearround fishing opportunities By preparing ahead of time you might go home with a big catch pp
Comcast pp
Comcasts commitment to delivering extensive coverage signifies a monumental leap toward a digitally empowered future for Utahns pp
Intermountain Health pp
An access clinic launched by Intermountain nursemidwives provides women with comprehensive gynecology care pp
Utah Association of Realtors pp
By avoiding these pitfalls when buying a home this spring you can ensure your investment will be longlasting and secure pp
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