A 2014 audit found the Louvre’s surveillance network could be accessed with the password “LOUVRE”.
Repeated warnings over obsolete software, poor training, and faulty security systems went unheeded for years.
The recent daylight jewel theft has renewed scrutiny of the museum’s long-ignored vulnerabilities.
The Password For Lourve Security Was ‘Louvre’: Years of Security Lapses Exposed After Paris Heist
Audits since 2014 flagged weak passwords, outdated systems, and neglected upgrades at the world’s most famous museum.
Summary
A French publication has revealed the security lapses had been plaguing the recently robbed Louvre Museum for years. One such lapse included that the museum's internal systems once used “LOUVRE” as a password, exposing glaring security lapses that went unaddressed for years.
According to French daily Libération, a 2014 audit by France’s National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (Anssi) found that experts could easily access the museum’s surveillance servers using weak passwords like “LOUVRE” and “THALES”, revealing severe vulnerabilities in its alarm, video, and access control networks.
Despite repeated warnings from Anssi to upgrade outdated systems such as Windows 2000 and strengthen cybersecurity measures, many flaws persisted. A 2017 follow-up report again flagged untrained staff, malfunctioning security equipment, obsolete software, and exposed rooftops during renovations.
One such programme, Sathi, developed by Thales in 2003, was used to manage analog video protection and access control. A 2019 document said that “this system is no longer being developed by Thales”. By 2025, Sathi was officially classified as “software that cannot be updated", still running on Windows Server 2003, an operating system unsupported since 2015. A 2025 audit by the Paris Police Prefecture confirmed that the Louvre’s IT systems “truly needed modernisation”.
These long-ignored deficiencies came under sharp focus after the October 19 daylight heist, when thieves scaled the museum using a ladder, smashed a window, and escaped within minutes with nine royal jewels, including a diamond-studded tiara.
The incident has reignited scrutiny over how one of the world’s premier museums failed to secure its treasures despite years of documented warnings.
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