BU computer engineer Manuel Egele on why we’re vulnerable and what we can do to protect ourselves
By Rich Barlow
If the torrid rush of data breaches during the first half of 2024 holds, there will be more than last year, which logged 72 percent more than the year before. The latest prominent victim was National Public Data, a firm that conducts background checks on job applicants and consumers. It was hacked earlier in the year, with millions of Social Security numbers compromised—or billions if you include those of dead people, according to a lawsuit against the company—in potentially the largest data breach ever.
Actually, reported breaches may be an undercount, as not all are reported, says Manuel Egele, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the College of Engineering, who also has an appointment in the College of Arts & Sciences. That’s despite the fact that all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and some US territories require hacked companies to notify affected parties.
BU Today asked Egele about the surge in data attacks and what, if anything, individuals can do to protect themselves.