Data of 525,000 People Exposed in Cyberattack on University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen recently suffered a major cyberattack. The breach exposed personal data belonging to about 525,000 people. Exposed information includes names, CPR numbers, phone numbers, and email addresses. International students and staff affiliated with the university are directly affected.

Attackers first gained access through a test environment on 20 October. The university disclosed the initial breach on 23 October. It confirmed that attackers obtained stored personal details during that intrusion. The incident was reported to the Danish Data Protection Agency.

The attack also compromised PIN codes for about 20,000 ID cards. Affected staff and students have since received new PIN codes. Physical access to selected campus locations was temporarily restricted. Those campus areas have now reopened.

On Monday, the university shut down administrative systems like Workzone and Nimbus. Official websites and portals also experienced access issues. Officials initially suspected a second separate attack. Later assessments confirmed the activity was tied to the original breach.

No daily operational systems were directly reached by the attackers. University staff continue to analyze the full scope of the incident. System disruptions may still occur while security work continues. (Source: Help Net Security)