Danish national registry breached: 8.8 million records exposed via password 123456

The breach in the Danish Civil Registration System (CPR) uncovers a massive number of 8.8 million personal details. Serious issues are arising related to identity data on a national level. How is data of this kind being protected? This attack clearly shows that a weak password management was enough to open the door for unauthorized entry in a crucial governmental database. This is relevant for all individuals who use these databases for their official identity. Please bear in mind that the security hole in this case indicates the dangers of the use of third party IT management in public sector.

Weak password allows access to 8.8 million Danish citizens' personal details

The attack came from Pays ApS, a third party IT service provider which handles the registry. The hacker says that they were able to get in using an account that was secured with the password '123456'. It is quite amazing that one basic password would give direct access to the database with all the sensitive data on citizens.

The Danish government has admitted the hack after abnormal activity was discovered in the invoices of the IT provider. The hacker has been able to get his hands on an estimated 8.8 million data on national registry. The case is an example of how weak password management can be harmful to major government databases provided by third party IT companies.

The hacker says they are not going to sell or share the data that they got access to. This fact is to be taken with a pinch of salt, based solely on the hacker's statement. The hack is an important reminder of the need to have tight authentication protocols in place in public sector IT.