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Louvre Heist: Audit Reveals Weak Passwords and Outdated Systems as Probe Advances

Private audits describe outdated software and weak credentials, exposing the museum’s surveillance network to serious risk.

Overview

  • Newly reported audit documents show video security software left unsupported for years, legacy servers still in use, and access guarded by basic passwords such as “Louvre.”
  • France’s culture minister now acknowledges security failures at the museum, with authorities launching reviews and moving some high‑value items into secure state custody.
  • A 38-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man have been formally indicted and remain in preventive detention, while three other detainees were released for lack of evidence.
  • Prosecutors say the perpetrators appear to be local, low‑level criminals rather than high‑end organized gangs, with DNA traces on vehicles and equipment guiding the case.
  • Most of the roughly €88 million in Napoleonic-era jewels remain missing, with one crown recovered damaged shortly after the under‑ten‑minute daytime raid.