Hackers have broken into Denmark's national population registry and gained unauthorised access to the personal data of around 8.8 million registered people, the Danish digital affairs ministry announced on Monday. Digital Affairs Minister Christina Egelund called the incident "an extremely serious" breach.
What was accessed
According to the ministry, the attackers accessed names, addresses and CPR numbers — Denmark's equivalent of social-security numbers. The 8.8 million figure includes people who have died or emigrated: the registry holds roughly 11 million entries in total, against a national population of about 6 million.
How they got in
Officials said the attackers broke in by misusing the legitimate registry access of a Danish company, which has since been blocked from the system. The hackers themselves remain unidentified. Irregular activity in September was first detected on October 2, and the Danish Data Protection Agency received a report on October 4. Police are now investigating alongside the agency.
Response
Minister Egelund has ordered a thorough security review and urged the public to be vigilant against suspicious calls and emails in the wake of the breach. The incident is one of the largest government data breaches in Europe in recent years, and it puts the spotlight on how third-party access points can become the weakest link in even well-guarded state systems.
Sources: The Straits Times / AFP, The Manila Times
What was accessed
According to the ministry, the attackers accessed names, addresses and CPR numbers — Denmark's equivalent of social-security numbers. The 8.8 million figure includes people who have died or emigrated: the registry holds roughly 11 million entries in total, against a national population of about 6 million.
How they got in
Officials said the attackers broke in by misusing the legitimate registry access of a Danish company, which has since been blocked from the system. The hackers themselves remain unidentified. Irregular activity in September was first detected on October 2, and the Danish Data Protection Agency received a report on October 4. Police are now investigating alongside the agency.
Response
Minister Egelund has ordered a thorough security review and urged the public to be vigilant against suspicious calls and emails in the wake of the breach. The incident is one of the largest government data breaches in Europe in recent years, and it puts the spotlight on how third-party access points can become the weakest link in even well-guarded state systems.
Sources: The Straits Times / AFP, The Manila Times
