Digital security threats rise for MitID users and Microsoft Edge browsers

Digital security in Denmark is facing two distinct threats involving identity authentication and browser vulnerabilities. Fraudsters are increasingly using sophisticated phishing attacks targeting MitID, the primary digital identity tool used by 97.2 percent of the Danish population over age 15. These attacks often involve fake SMS or email messages from entities like the tax authority or banks, leading users to a fraudulent login page. If a user approves a MitID request prompted by a scammer, the attacker gains access to sensitive services including online banking, e-Boks, and health data.

Separately, security research has identified a vulnerability in the Microsoft Edge browser regarding how it handles saved credentials. Investigations revealed that passwords stored in the browser's built-in manager can be found in plain text within a computer's memory dump, even after the browser has been restarted. While Microsoft characterizes this as a deliberate design choice rather than a bug, experts note that it deviates from standard security principles where passwords should only be decrypted at the moment of use and immediately cleared from memory.