Peter Holst Olsen of Naestved poses with his giant pumpkin weighing 1,198 kilogrammes after winning the Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen on October 3, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Hackers broke into Denmark’s national registry and gained access to personal information on millions of people, the Digital Affairs Ministry said on Oct. 5.
“The administration of the national registry (CPR) has found that unauthorized individuals obtained illegal access in particular to the names, addresses, and CPR numbers of around 8.8 million registered people,” including those who have died or emigrated, the ministry said in a press release, referring to Denmark’s social security numbers.
“This is an extremely serious incident,” Christina Egelund, digital affairs minister was quoted as saying in the press release.
“Together with all the relevant authorities, we are in the process of mapping out the full extent of the incident,” she added.
Denmark has a population of around 6 million, but the national registry has information on 11 million, including data of those deceased and people who have emigrated from the country.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, with the hackers not yet identified, the statement said.
They broke into the national registry by hacking into a Danish company that legally had access to it, the government said, adding that the access has not been revoked.
