The Uffizi Galleries, home to Italy’s most precious art, were hit by a cyberattack, the museum said. The museum claims there was no data stolen. File Photo by Claudio Giovannini/EPA
The Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy, said Friday it suffered a cyberattack, but not a breach of data earlier this year.
The country’s top art museum said nothing had been damaged or stolen in the attack.
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that hackers had infiltrated the museums’ IT systems and taken access codes, internal maps and the locations of closed-circuit cameras and alarms, then demanded ransom.
But the museum disputed that report, saying its security systems are inaccessible from outside the museum, the BBC reported.
Corriere reported that the attackers moved through interconnected systems, computers and phones, learning the museum’s operations. It said a ransom demand was later sent to museum director Simone Verde’s personal phone threatening to sell data on the dark web.
The Uffizi houses priceless masterpieces by Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. It’s the home of The Birth of Venus, by Botticelli; Venus de’ Medici, a Greek sculpture by an unknown artist; and Annunciation by Leonardo.
Italian media have reported that the attack forced authorities to move some of the museum’s collection into secure vaults. But the Uffizi stressed in a note shared with Politico that the attack was “nothing like the Louvre,” referencing the $100 million jewel heist last year that eventually forced its director to resign. The items stolen from the Louvre have not been recovered.
The movement of items to vaults, which included Medici-era treasures, was because of ongoing renovations, the museum said.
Former Prime Minister and former Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi criticized Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, an ally of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, for not protecting the important museum.
“Hackers are attacking the Uffizi Gallery and threatening our cultural heritage. I wonder: what is Minister Giuli doing and what has he done?” Renzi posted on X Thursday. “Did he notice or is he too busy playing the flute in honor of the god Pan … ? And what is the National Cybersecurity Agency doing? Or is Italians’ money just going into software like Paragon that spies on journalists? I’ll submit a question. I’m curious to see if anyone will have the courage to respond.”
On March 22, a three-minute heist resulted in the loss of three paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse from the Magnani-Rocca Foundation in Parma, Italy.
