Louvre Museum's Shockingly Weak Password Triggers Memefest: ‘Mona Lisa Is Giving Side Eye’

The infamous Louvre heist continues to be a hot topic on the internet as new details about the investigation emerge. Now, a recent revelation has left netizens stunned after it was flagged that the Paris museum reportedly used an extremely weak password for its main security systems.

French daily Liberation revealed in a report, citing confidential documents, that the museum was using the “LOUVRE” as a password for its main security systems. This came into the spotlight after France’s National Cybersecurity Agency was able to access a server managing the museum’s video surveillance using the ridiculously easy password.

As the news spread, social media platforms were flooded with memes and jokes mocking the museum’s poor security framework. Users are expressing disbelief that a prestigious institution, home to famous artworks such as Mona Lisa, relies on a weak password.

The namesake password was first revealed by the agency in a 2014 audit, the New York Post reported. A subsequent audit also flagged that the museum was running on outdated, two-decade-old software. The audit agency had cautioned against security lapses as the server was connected to the museum’s most critical protection and detection equipment.

“This security network is where the museum’s most critical protection and detection equipment is connected,” the cybersecurity agency, known as ANSSI, wrote in a 2014 audit report. It warned that failing to secure this system could result in damage or potential theft of the artworks at the museum.

It remains unclear whether the museum changed its passwords or upgraded its systems before the recent heist.

So far, authorities have arrested four suspects in relation to the case.

On Oct. 19, during the heist, the thieves parked a truck equipped with an extendable ladder beneath the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery shortly after it opened. In broad daylight, they climbed the ladder, used cutting tools to slice through a window, and smashed open several display cases. Within minutes, they stole eight priceless jewels, including a diamond-studded diadem once owned by Empress Eugénie.