Hackers steal 8.8 million citizens' records from Danish national registry

The Danish government has confirmed a breach of the Central Person Register in which hackers stole records of about 8.8 million citizens and residents.

• Hackers accessed names, addresses and Danish social security numbers from the Central Person Register, the government said.
• The government said unauthorized access came through a private Danish company's lawful permissions, which it then revoked as police opened an investigation.
• Digital affairs minister Christina Egelund called the breach a "serious incident," ordered a security review, and urged citizens to be wary of suspicious calls and emails.
• The government detected unusual activity on October 2 and traced the unauthorized searches to September.
• The unauthorized access lasted about ten days in September before officials detected the breach in early October.
• Authorities have not identified who launched the attack or named the small Danish company whose access was exploited.