Could the spectacular theft of the Crown Jewels from the Louvre happen in Italy? This is the fear that had gripped most of the directors of the major museums on the peninsula and which was reinforced this Friday. An article published on April 3 by the Corriere della Sera caused a stir in the world of transalpine culture. The Milanese daily revealed a vast, devastating computer attack that targeted the Uffizi complex, including the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens in Florence.
The details reported by the daily are alarming. The hackers, at work since the end of January, would not have been content with infiltrating the administrative services of the museum. They would have succeeded in copying the servers of the technical office, stealing the entire digital archives of the photographic office, but above all data critical to the security of the places and the works they house. Access codes, passwords, alarm system diagrams, ultra-detailed internal maps and exact positions of surveillance cameras and motion sensors: hackers would be in possession of all the elements to carry out “the heist of the century” with complete impunity. When we know what the Louvre thieves could have done with a scooter, a freight elevator and a grinder…
The Boboli Gardens and Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
© Photo Ludovic Sanejouand
Still according to the Corriere della Serathe hackers would have sent a ransom demand directly to the personal cell phone of the director of the Offices Simone Verde. Cybercriminals reportedly threaten to sell entire security plans and sensitive data on the Dark Web if their financial demands are not met.
To alleviate the threat of a spectacular burglary, the most precious pieces of the collections would henceforth rest in the ultra-secure safes of the Bank of Italy. An entire wing of the Pitti Palace also remains closed to the public “until further notice”, officially for maintenance reasons. A version contested by the Uffizi Gallery which, in a note, denies point by point the elements developed in the article.
The fact remains that the museum was the victim at the beginning of the year of a computer attack, the exact extent of which remains unknown. Italian justice, supported by the state’s cybersecurity experts, is currently trying to follow the trail of cybercriminals. This case highlights the growing vulnerability of cultural institutions in the face of increasingly sophisticated digital crime.
