University of Copenhagen Data Breach Exposes 525,000 People’s Personal Data, Including Phone Numbers

What happened?

The University of Copenhagen has confirmed a data breach that exposed personal information belonging to about 525,000 people after hackers accessed a university test environment. The affected database contained full names, Danish national identity numbers, work and private telephone numbers, and personal email addresses. The university is still examining the full extent of the exposure. The attack was detected on October 20, 2026, and publicly disclosed on October 23.

Key details

• University of Copenhagen confirmed a breach exposing personal data of about 525,000 people after hackers accessed a test environment.
• The compromised database included full names, Danish national identity numbers, work and private phone numbers, and personal email addresses.
• Attack was detected on October 20, 2026, publicly disclosed on October 23, and the university says it has brought the incident under control and blocked attacker access.
• An October 25 update revealed ID card PINs for around 20,000 staff and students were also exposed, with no evidence of disrupted operations.
• University restricted access to selected critical campus locations on October 23 and reopened them after replacing affected PIN codes.
• The university has not disclosed how hackers gained access, which software was involved, or whether stolen credentials or a software flaw enabled the intrusion.
• Exposed identity and contact details could enable targeted phishing and social engineering, so affected people should independently verify unexpected requests.

Summarised by SecOraLens from Cyber Security News. Always read the original source before acting. How SecOraLens verifies advisories.