Redazione RHC : 7 November 2025 12:57
The recent theft at the Louvre Museum, located in the heart of Paris, has shocked not only the art world but also the cybersecurity world. On the night of October 22, 2025, several French crown jewels were stolen from the Apollo Gallery, despite sophisticated alarm and surveillance systems. Investigators are still trying to understand how one of the most secure facilities in the world was breached , but security audits revealed something as trivial as it is worrying: weak passwords and outdated systems.
Two independent audits had already highlighted critical issues related to the management of access credentials by museum staff. Many administrative accounts used easily guessable or default passwords , opening the door to potential unauthorized access to video surveillance and control systems. Despite warnings, the institutional response was slow and fragmented.
The theft has thus highlighted a crucial issue in modern security: protecting walls and display cases is not enough if the digital keys to access them are weak or easily compromised. The Louvre, a global symbol of culture and art, now faces a crisis that goes beyond material damage, affecting its credibility and public trust in its ability to safeguard humanity’s historical heritage.
“We have accomplished all our missions,” assured Laurence des Cars, president and director of the Louvre Museum, speaking on Franceinfo ‘s morning program this Friday, November 7, 2025.
In her first interview since the hearing before the Senate Committee on Culture on October 22, 2025, and the theft at the Louvre Museum, in which several French crown jewels were stolen, Laurence des Cars stated that “the Court of Auditors was wrong to be so severe.”
In a report released Thursday, the agency concluded that the museum had made budgetary choices “to the detriment” of site safety . However, it indicated that “the percentage of the budget dedicated to art acquisitions will decrease.”
“There are some perimeter cameras, but they are obsolete (…), the network is very insufficient, it does not cover all the facades of the Louvre and unfortunately on the Apollo Gallery side” where the theft occurred, “the only camera is positioned towards the west and therefore did not cover the balcony affected by the break-in”, said Mrs. des Cars, assuring that the future security plan will cover “all the facades”.
Last week, Rachida Dati, France’s Minister of Culture, acknowledged that the Louvre had ” underestimated ” the risk of theft and intrusion , but did it actually take this into account? RTL obtained access to the museum’s draft performance contract (COP) for the next four years, and this risk of theft is not mentioned anywhere in the 87-page document.
Experts point out that cyber threats against large museums are constantly growing, since these institutions house not only works of art but also sensitive data: from digital catalogues to security plans, to remote control systems .
Weak passwords and shared credentials among employees represent a point of vulnerability that can be exploited to coordinate physical theft or sabotage.
The theft at the Louvre not only represents a physical breach in the protection of artworks, but also a wake-up call for the cybersecurity of cultural venues . Investigations have revealed weaknesses in the museum’s digital systems, previously highlighted by internal audits and by the Cour des Comptes , which had denounced delays in updating video surveillance infrastructure and “very inadequate” security camera coverage. These elements demonstrate how digital vulnerabilities can amplify physical ones, paving the way for coordinated intrusions.
The Louvre incident highlights a deeper, systemic problem: many cultural institutions still fail to address cybersecurity as a strategic component of preservation . According to experts interviewed by Siècle Digital , protecting museums today must include digital identity management, security of badges and internal networks, and rigorous monitoring of IoT devices connected to alarm and surveillance systems. Weak passwords, shared credentials, and outdated software aren’t just technical errors: they represent flaws in the security culture, which cybercriminals exploit better than anyone else.
Ultimately, the theft of the French Crown Jewels is poised to become a global case study in digital security paired with individual countries’ cultural heritage .
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