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The City of Helsinki discovered an Education Division data breach on 30 April 2024 after an attacker exploited a vulnerability in a remote-access server. The attacker obtained usernames and email addresses for all City personnel and accessed Education Division network-drive content; personal identity codes and addresses for Education Division students, guardians and personnel were also at risk. Helsinki could not determine exactly which people or files the attacker accessed, so its estimates describe potential exposure—not a confirmed count of victims.
What happened in the Helsinki cyberattack?
The City says it became aware of the breach on 30 April 2024 and began investigating immediately. Its account links the intrusion to a vulnerability in a remote-access server. Helsinki later said a hotfix for the vulnerability was available, but it did not know why the fix had not been installed. The City closed systems that enabled unauthorized access, took technical steps to limit damage and changed passwords in critical systems that may have been accessed. It also notified Finland’s Data Protection Ombudsman, police and the National Cyber Security Centre at Traficom. City of Helsinki incident updates
The breach involved more than account details. The attacker accessed content on an Education Division network drive that the City said held tens of millions of files. Most documents either contained no personally identifying information or ordinary personal information, but some included confidential or sensitive material. Helsinki cited early-childhood-education fees and their basis, student-welfare information, special-support needs, medical certificates concerning suspension of upper-secondary studies, and personnel sick-leave records as examples.
Access to a large body of data was established; access to each specific file or person’s information was not. The City says it cannot determine whose personal information the attacker actually accessed, or which categories of information were reached. The possibility that material relating to people with non-disclosure restrictions was on the drive could not be ruled out. Helsinki’s notice for possible target groups
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Who may have been affected?
Helsinki’s public notice identifies groups whose information may have been held on the affected drive. It does not confirm that every person in any of these groups had a file accessed.
- Current and former students in basic and upper-secondary education, and their guardians.
- Children in City early-childhood education and their guardians.
- Adult-education students and users of student-welfare services, including school social workers and psychologists.
- Other possible groups, including some jobseekers, temporary staff, partners, and people connected with private or other education providers.
Information listed for Helsinki learners born 2005–2018
In its May 2024 notice, the City said a specified dataset for learners from Helsinki born between 2005 and 2018 included personal identity codes and addresses for the learner and guardian, plus the learner’s native language, nationality and religious community. The City said this dataset did not include phone numbers or email addresses, and did not include addresses, phone numbers or email addresses of people with a non-disclosure restriction. This statement concerns that specified learner dataset; separately, Helsinki said it could not rule out that other drive material related to people with non-disclosure restrictions.
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How many people were potentially in scope?
Helsinki’s May 2024 estimate was roughly 150,000 learners and their guardians and roughly 38,000 City personnel. These were potential-impact estimates, not a final tally of individuals whose records the attacker opened. All City personnel usernames and email addresses were accessed, but that does not mean all other personnel information was accessed. City update on the wider potential target group
| City estimate or update | What it means |
|---|---|
| Over 80,000 students and guardians, in addition to all personnel usernames and email addresses — 13 May 2024 update | Worst-case estimate available at that stage of the investigation; not a confirmed count of records accessed. |
| Roughly 150,000 learners and their guardians, and roughly 38,000 City personnel — later May 2024 estimate | Broader potential target group published as the investigation developed; not a confirmed count of affected individuals. |
The City also described tens of millions of files on the network drive. That figure refers to the drive’s contents, not to files confirmed as accessed by the attacker. The City’s 13 May 2024 update, revised 22 April 2026, records the earlier estimate; its 21 May 2024 update, revised 5 June 2025, reports the wider potential target group.
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What should people do now?
Helsinki advises people to be alert for phishing, scams and attempted identity theft. Its incident FAQ recommends caution with vague or suspicious messages, messages that create urgency, and unlikely offers. Do not open links in suspicious messages. The City says it never asks for bank access codes, passwords, credit-card numbers or other identifiers by phone, email, letter or other means.
- Use strong passwords and do not reuse the same password across services.
- If you suspect someone has both your username and password, change the password.
- For general data-leak guidance, consult the National Cyber Security Centre at Traficom or Suomi.fi through the links on Helsinki’s FAQ page.
- To ask what personal information the Education Division may hold about you, submit a personal-information verification request as described in the FAQ. The City says processing may take three months because of the incident’s scope.
The FAQ lists the Education Division advisory contact as +358 9 310 44986 and kaskotietoturvatilanne@hel.fi, with weekday service hours. Contact information and hours can change, so check the live City page before calling or writing.
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What did Helsinki and investigators report afterward?
On 13 May 2024, the City’s Chief Digital Officer, Hannu Heikkinen, acknowledged: “Our security update and device maintenance controls and procedures have been insufficient.” The City said it had taken technical measures following the incident; its later updates described steps to strengthen ICT infrastructure, data protection, maintenance and management practices, as well as a security-management project.
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In that June 2025 summary, the City reported no reports of misuse. That is a time-bounded statement about what had been reported to the City, not proof that misuse could never occur.
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