Norwegian aid agency hit by cyberattack exposing data of 20K users
The funding organization was handing out more than just money.
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- Norad says names and email addresses of 20,614 Grants Portal users were compromised.
- Attackers accessed the portal by abusing 27 user accounts and stole data from at least three organizations.
- Norad took the portal offline and is notifying affected users and organizations.
- Norwegian privacy, security, and police authorities have been informed as Norad investigates the attack.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Norway’s national aid agency, Norad, has confirmed it was targeted by a cyberattack, potentially exposing the personal details of 20,614 users of Norad’s Grants Portal.
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) discovered that the names and email addresses of 20,614 registered users of Norad’s Grants Portal have been compromised.
The attackers gained access to the Grants Portal by compromising and abusing 27 user accounts, successfully stealing information from at least 3 organizations. However, more may have been impacted.
The portal was immediately taken offline, and the agency is working to inform all affected registered users and the three organizations that have been impacted.
Norad’s Grants Portal is a digital application and administrative system through which multilateral organizations can apply for financial support. The Grants Portal has been in use since 2017 and represents 12,511 organizations worldwide.
It oversees billions of euros in development funding. In 2025, the agency managed around 32 billion Norwegian kroner, or approximately €2.7 billion, in development aid. It also handles sensitive information from people and organizations around the world.
“Norad has mobilized its crisis management team to respond to the incident. The attack is complex. While we have a good understanding of the incident, we are engaging external cybersecurity experts to ensure we have a complete picture of the attack,” according to Norad's Director of Digitalization, Torger Kjeldstad.
“We view this as an extremely serious matter. It is now critical that we gain a complete understanding of the attack and its potential consequences,” Kjeldstad adds.
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) and the Norwegian National Security Authority (NSM) have been informed of the incident. An incident report was also filed with the police.
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