Hackers Access Data of 8.8 Million People in Denmark
Hackers gained access to personal information belonging to about 8.8 million people through Denmark’s national population register, Danish authorities said.
The breach affected the Central Person Register, known as CPR, which contains personal information on people registered in Denmark.
The incident was discovered on Friday after authorities found that unauthorized users had accessed the system in September.
How Did Hackers Get Access?
The hackers did not appear to break directly into the government system.
Instead, they used the legal access rights of a private Danish company to search for information in the CPR system.
Authorities have now ended their cooperation with the company while investigators work to determine exactly what happened.
The CPR register contains sensitive information such as people’s names, addresses and CPR numbers. A CPR number is similar to a national identification number used in other European countries.
Millions of Records Affected
About 8.8 million registered people were affected by the incident. That number is larger than Denmark’s current population because the CPR database includes more than just people currently living in the country.
The register contains information on about 11 million registered individuals, including people who have died, people who work in Denmark and people who have moved abroad.
Danish authorities are still investigating exactly what information was accessed and how the attackers used it.
Government Calls the Incident Serious
Christina Egelund, Denmark’s minister for Science, Higher Education and Digitalization, described the incident as very serious. Authorities are working with several agencies to determine the full scope of the breach.
Police have also opened an investigation, but officials have not said who may be behind the attack. The government says it is also working on measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Danish Citizens Urged to Stay Alert
Authorities are warning people to be careful about suspicious messages, emails or phone calls that could use stolen personal information.
Officials have not yet said that every person whose information was in the affected system has been targeted by criminals.
However, the size of the breach means the incident could have wider consequences if the stolen information is later used for scams or identity fraud.
Belgium Has Also Seen Major Data Leaks
The Danish breach comes as Belgium is dealing with separate data security incidents.
A recent cyberattack on IFAPME, a Wallonia-based training network, exposed personal information belonging to about 700,000 Belgians. The leaked data reportedly included bank account numbers, phone numbers, email addresses and national identification numbers.
Cybersecurity company Fox&Fish Cyberdefense also reported that information belonging to another 148,000 Belgians had appeared on the dark web.
The incidents in Denmark and Belgium highlight a growing concern across Europe: personal data held by public institutions and private companies can become a valuable target for cybercriminals.
