April 3 (UPI) — The Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy, said Friday it suffered a cyberattack, but not a breach of data earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The country’s top art museum said nothing had been damaged or stolen in the attack.<\/p>\n
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n But the museum disputed that report, saying its security systems are inaccessible from outside the museum, the BBC reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> that the attack was “nothing like the Louvre,” referencing the $100 million jewel heist<\/a> last year that eventually forced its director to resign<\/a>. The items stolen from the Louvre have not been recovered.<\/p>\n The movement of items to vaults, which included Medici-era treasures, was because of ongoing renovations, the museum said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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<\/a>. “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.”<\/p>\n