UPDATE - Denmark suffers massive IT breakdown, wreaking havoc on hospitals

​​​​​​​CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Ebad Ahmed

COPENHAGEN (AA) - A massive IT breakdown hit Denmark on Thursday, disrupting hospital operations and derailing surgeries, the state Danish Broadcasting Corporation reported.

It caused major issues with patient logistics systems, making it difficult for hospitals to manage care. Authorities in the central region have urged patients with non-emergency appointments to stay home, as hospitals can only handle emergency cases. The cause of the outage remains unknown, but experts are working on resolving the issue.

The IT breakdown came hours after the Danish Agency for Civil Protection issued a threat assessment that said the Danish telecommunications sector faces an increasing risk of cyber espionage.

The Danish Broadcasting Corporation reported that the agency raised the cyber espionage threat level from medium to high, citing repeated attacks on Europe’s telecom industry.

In a statement, Civil Protection Minister Torsten Schack Pedersen urged stronger cybersecurity measures, warning of Russia’s growing willingness to use cyberattacks and hybrid warfare tactics.

“Russia has become more willing to, for example, use hybrid means such as cyberattacks more aggressively. We must be prepared,” Pedersen stated, emphasizing the urgent need for telecom operators to bolster security.

The agency’s assessment highlights growing interest from state-backed hackers, further exposing Denmark’s telecommunications infrastructure to potential cyber threats.

In December, Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service identified hybrid attacks and sabotage from Russia as key risks in its annual threat report.

A Russian hacking group took credit for cyberattacks in January 2023 on the websites of the Danish central bank and seven private lenders.

An anonymous spokesperson from the hacking group, known as NoName057(16), maintained that the attacks were conducted because of Denmark's support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

"Denmark supports Ukrainian neo-Nazis,” the group told the media. "That's enough for us to launch an attack on your country's critical infrastructure. The banking sector was selected because it is one of the most important components of this critical infrastructure.”

The attacks targeted Danske Bank, Jyske Bank, Sydbank, Sparekassen Sjælland-Fyn, Bankinvest, Arbejdernes Landsbank and Handelsbanken.