Paris — The Louvre Museum, one of the world’s most prestigious art institutions, is facing intense scrutiny following a daring daylight theft on October 19 that saw priceless royal jewels stolen.
The heist has not only shaken France’s cultural community but also exposed the museum’s long-standing cybersecurity and maintenance failures.
According to a report by French daily Libération, the Louvre had been warned multiple times over the past decade about its weak IT infrastructure, but many of the identified flaws were never fully resolved.
The revelations have sparked questions about how such an iconic institution could leave itself vulnerable to both physical and digital breaches.
The first major warning came as early as December 2014, when France’s National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (Anssi) carried out an audit of the museum’s network security.
The audit revealed a series of critical vulnerabilities within the systems managing alarms, surveillance cameras, and access controls — all key components in safeguarding the museum’s treasures.
In its confidential 26-page report, Anssi experts detailed how they were able to infiltrate the museum’s internal network using weak passwords and outdated software.
One of the most alarming findings was that typing “LOUVRE” could unlock access to the video surveillance server, while “THALES” — the name of the French defense and technology firm — provided entry to another crucial software system.
Anssi’s report explicitly warned that the Louvre’s “applications and systems deployed on the security network present numerous vulnerabilities,” cautioning that Acould remotely access the system, modify badge authorizations, or manipulate video feeds without detection.
The agency recommended immediate action — including the strengthening of passwords, installation of modern firewalls, and upgrading of operating systems, some of which were still running on outdated Windows 2000 platforms.
However, the Louvre never publicly confirmed whether these crucial recommendations were implemented. Museum officials have remained tight-lipped about the extent of their digital security upgrades over the past decade, citing “ongoing investigations” after the recent theft.
The October heist, executed in broad daylight, has raised speculation that the perpetrators may have exploited digital loopholes within the museum’s internal systems to disable or manipulate surveillance.
French police and cybersecurity experts are now working together to determine whether the thieves received inside assistance or leveraged the vulnerabilities previously identified by Anssi.
As France’s cultural ministry faces mounting pressure to improve digital security across national institutions, this incident stands as a stark reminder that even the most iconic symbols of art and history are not immune to modern threats.
The Louvre, home to masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, now faces the dual challenge of recovering its stolen jewels and restoring public trust in its ability to safeguard priceless cultural treasures.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members