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Uffizi Tightens Security After Cyberattack With Valuables Reportedly Moved to Central Bank

Conflicting accounts have triggered formal investigations into possible risks to artworks and data.

Overview

  • The Uffizi, which confirmed a hacker attack on February 1, now faces scrutiny over what museum systems the intruders reached.
  • Italian media report that hackers took passwords, access codes, maps of alarms, and camera locations and sent a ransom demand to the director’s private phone.
  • As a precaution, the most valuable jewels from the Palazzo Pitti treasury were reportedly transferred to a Banca d’Italia vault.
  • The museum sealed some exits, closed areas of the complex, and sped up a swap from analog to digital cameras to cut break‑in risk.
  • Prosecutors, police, and Italy’s national cybersecurity authority are investigating, including reports of an initial breach last August via outdated image‑management software.