Louvre Museum Password: ₹900 crore stolen in 7 minutes, priceless jewels lost due to stupid password..

A case of precious jewels worth ₹9 billion (approximately $1.9 billion) has been reported from the Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the world's most famous museums. The thieves carried out this heist in broad daylight in just seven minutes. This has reignited the issue of years of security lapses at the Louvre. According to a report in the French newspaper Libération, the museum had been receiving warnings for years to improve its security systems, but these were ignored. The report also revealed that the security password for the museum's cameras was "LOUVRE."

Weak Passwords Caused the Theft of Crores
In a 2014 audit, France's National Agency for the Security of Information Systems stated that anyone could easily access the Louvre's servers. This was because extremely weak passwords, such as "LOUVRE" and "THALES," were being used. Furthermore, it was reported that the alarm, video, and access control systems were outdated and insecure. The agency had repeatedly warned the museum that it needed to replace its outdated operating systems, such as Windows 2000. Despite this, the museum did not take it seriously. As early as 2025, the Paris police had noted in a report that the museum's IT systems needed to be modernized, but this negligence continued for years.

Thales' Outdated System
In 2003, a company called Thales developed a system called "Sathi," which handled the Louvre's video surveillance and access control. In 2019, this system was officially declared outdated. The system still runs on Windows Server 2003, which Microsoft itself discontinued support for after 2015. In 2025, the Paris police noted in a report that the Louvre's IT systems needed to be modernized, but this negligence continued for years.

Serious questions are now being raised.

This 9 billion rupee theft has exposed the weaknesses in the museum's security system. According to the report, the thieves scaled the museum wall using a ladder and then broke a window. Within minutes, they escaped with nine precious royal jewels, including a diamond-studded tiara. The incident has raised questions about why the museum's security system wasn't updated for so many years.

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