The Louvre Heist Exposes an Old Foe: Weak Passwords and Outdated Security

When over $100 million in jewels vanished from the Louvre in October, the story read like a cinematic caper: masked thieves, a midnight ladder, and a museum famous for the world’s most iconic painting. But as new reports emerge, the real vulnerability may have been less Ocean’s Eleven and more… “password123.”

According to Libération, a French audit from nearly a decade ago revealed that “Louvre” was once the actual password to access the museum’s surveillance systems—a cyber faux pas that now feels almost poetic in its irony. The same report noted that the museum’s digital infrastructure ran on Windows Server 2003—software so old that Microsoft had already pulled support. French cybersecurity agency ANSSI reportedly warned about weak authentication and unguarded physical access, the latter eerily echoed in the thieves’ balcony entry via an electric ladder.

While authorities have since arrested seven suspects, the jewels remain missing. What’s perhaps more enduring than the theft itself is the reminder that even global cultural institutions can fall prey to the oldest security failure in the book: bad password hygiene.

From Passwords to Passkeys

The Louvre isn’t alone. CNET’s latest consumer survey found that nearly half of Americans use risky password habits—often incorporating personal details like birthdays, pet names, or family references. This behavior, while convenient, effectively hands cybercriminals a blueprint to breach both digital and physical systems.

Ashish Jain, CTO at OneSpan, says the problem runs deeper than personal carelessness.

“Passwords are vulnerable and insufficient for modern enterprise security. As threat actors increase the size and scale of phishing and other social engineering attacks, the Louvre heist is a timely reminder of the tangible financial damage that one weak password can cause.”

Jain argues that the time for incremental fixes has passed:

“Now is the time to embrace a passwordless future with resilient, phishing-resistant safeguards like FIDO passkeys, which bind identities to devices with cryptographic credentials. These protections are necessary in today’s threat environment to safeguard sensitive assets, information and employees across every organization.”

The Broader Lesson: Cultural Icons, Digital Weak Spots

If the Louvre can be compromised, no organization—no matter how historic or secure—is immune. The theft underscores how physical and digital security now intersect, with attackers exploiting weaknesses across both domains. A forgotten default password or an outdated operating system can become the digital equivalent of an unlocked window.

Museums, hospitals, and financial institutions alike face the same challenge: transforming legacy systems built for a different century into resilient infrastructures for one powered by AI-driven threats and hybrid attack vectors.

So, whether you’re guarding Renaissance art or just your online bank account, this much is clear: cybersecurity starts at the keyboard. Or, better yet, with the elimination of the keyboard altogether.