Hackers have stolen the personal records of 8.8 million people from Denmark's national citizen registry, the Danish government confirmed, in what is likely the biggest data breach in the country's history. In a country of roughly 6 million people, the haul covers virtually every resident past and present.
According to the government, the attackers abused a private company's lawful access to the Central Person Register to exfiltrate names, addresses and CPR (social-security) numbers. The attack ran through September and was only discovered on October 2.
Officials are now working to notify those affected and assess how the stolen data might be misused for identity theft and fraud. The incident is expected to renew pressure across Europe for tighter controls on third-party access to government databases.
