Weeks after a $102 million jewel heist at Paris’s Louvre Museum, investigators and auditors have revealed alarming lapses in the institution’s security systems.
From outdated surveillance software to a password as simple as “Louvre,” the findings have cast a shadow over the museum’s ability to protect its treasures.
A museum employee confirmed that the password to the Louvre’s video surveillance system was “Louvre” at the time of the October robbery, according to ABC News.
The disclosure comes amid growing criticism of the museum’s preparedness following the daylight theft of eight priceless jewels from the Apollo Gallery.
Laurence des Cars, the museum’s president and director, told a French Senate committee that the only camera outside the gallery faced the wrong direction and failed to capture the thieves’ entry and exit point.
She said that while the alarms and cameras inside functioned properly, there was a “weakness” in perimeter security due to “underinvestment.”
Social media erupted with a mix of outrage and humour over the password revelation.
“A $102 million jewel heist and the Louvre’s password was literally “Louvre”? You can’t make this up. This is elite-level incompetence from an institution that lectures the world on culture and security. If the world’s most famous museum can’t protect its own treasures, what does that say about the rest of Europe’s so‑called “security standards”?”, wrote one user.
“The new more secure password will be "Louvre2", wrote another.
Adding to the scrutiny, France’s national audit office, the Cour des Comptes, released a report on Thursday stating that a security overhaul begun in 2015 would not be completed until 2032.
As of 2024, only 39 per cent of the museum’s rooms were under camera surveillance, reported Reuters.
The report attributed the delay to chronic underinvestment and mismanagement, citing excessive spending on new acquisitions and post-pandemic relaunch projects.
“It will take several years to complete the project,” the report said, calling the October robbery a “deafening alarm.” Auditor Pierre Moscovici said the theft underscored longstanding warnings about the museum’s fragile security systems.
The national audit office made ten recommendations, including reducing art acquisitions, raising ticket prices, and overhauling digital infrastructure. The report said the museum must “strengthen its internal control function, which remains underdeveloped for an institution the size of the Louvre.”
Culture minister Rachida Dati agreed that technical upgrades were urgent and pledged to implement “swift corrective measures.” She announced that new anti-intrusion and anti-vehicle barriers would be installed by year’s end.
Louvre director Laurence des Cars supported most of the auditor’s recommendations, saying that long-term transformation plans were necessary to address structural challenges. “Today we are witnessing a terrible failure at the Louvre,” she told lawmakers, adding that museum security remains one of her top priorities.
Despite assurances that internal systems functioned during the theft, Dati acknowledged “major flaws” in external protection.
France’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) has also warned of “serious shortcomings,” including reliance on decades-old software that could allow attackers to “facilitate damage or even theft of artworks.” It remains unclear whether the museum acted on those warnings.
Investigators said the entire robbery, from break-in to getaway, lasted only seven minutes.
The thieves used a truck-mounted cherry picker to reach the Apollo Gallery, smashed the glass display cases with power tools, and escaped the same way before attempting to torch the vehicle and fleeing on scooters.
French public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said four suspects have been charged in connection with the heist, though the stolen jewels have not been recovered.
The suspects include a 39-year-old taxi driver and a 34-year-old garbage collector from northern Paris whose DNA was found at the scene.
The garbage collector was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport while attempting to board a one-way flight to Algeria.
Two others, a 37-year-old man and his 38-year-old partner, were also detained. Beccuau added that at least one person involved in the robbery remains at large.
The Apollo Gallery, which once displayed the stolen gems belonging to 19th-century queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense, remains closed to the public, according to the Louvre’s website.