Denmark’s Digital Dependence Leaves It Exposed to Cyberattacks, Minister Says

Government considers stronger infrastructure and fewer internet-connected systems

Denmark’s extensive reliance on digital systems leaves the country vulnerable to cyberattacks that could damage public confidence in authorities, Resilience and Preparedness Minister Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen told Reuters. Denmark is among the world’s most digitalized countries, and its citizens generally have high confidence in public digital services.

That dependence extends across utilities, healthcare and financial services. Bech-Nielsen said digitalization had delivered major benefits but also created more points of exposure. Her principal concern was not only whether an attack caused immediate disruption, but whether repeated incidents would make people lose trust in institutions.

Governments and businesses, including organizations in Denmark, took websites offline during the week after critical flaws in a widely used programming language triggered millions of hacking attempts. Danish municipal IT company Kombit said it had shut down several services, including a national school communication platform.

Bech-Nielsen described daily attacks as the new normal, attributing them to states such as Russia, criminal hackers seeking financial gain and other actors. She said Denmark needs to invest more in digital infrastructure and reconsider how much critical equipment should be connected to the public internet.

The minister pointed to an incident in France involving remotely controlled freezers and asked whether more local, closed systems could offer better protection. Such a shift would carry practical costs, affecting how people live, work and conduct business, she said.

Denmark’s experience highlights the security dilemma of highly connected public services: digital access can make institutions more efficient, but it also means that software weaknesses or successful attacks can have consequences well beyond a single website. The government’s challenge is to preserve the benefits of digital services while limiting unnecessary exposure.

Sources

https://www.reuters.com/technology/denmarks-digital-reliance-leaves-it-exposed-cyberattacks-minister-says-2026-10-23/