- Hackers stole Uffizi photo archive but backups restored
- Reports claim that codes, passwords and maps were taken.
- The museum denies the claims and says the improvements were pre-planned
The Uffizi Galleries, one of Italy’s most popular museums, confirmed that it suffered a cyberattack in early 2026 in which it lost a treasure trove of sensitive data.
Located in Florence, the Uffizi Gallery houses works of art by some of the world’s most famous artists, including Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and others.
In early February 2026, the museum was attacked by anonymous hackers who “drained the servers” and took the entire photography department archive; However, the museum had a backup of the entire archive, allowing it to quickly restore everything that had been lost.
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Replacing hardware and moving valuables
a report of cyber news cites local media reporting that the attackers stole “codes, passwords, alarm systems, internal maps, entrances, exits and service routes,” as well as the location of surveillance cameras and sensors.
But the museum denied these claims and said there was “no evidence” that criminals took any maps. He also said the location of the cameras can be easily seen by simply walking into the museum and looking up.
It is still in the process of replacing the hardware. However, he says police recommended the upgrade in 2024 as the cameras were analogue, rather than digital.
The museum also moved some of its possessions to a vault at the Bank of Italy and closed parts of the palace a few days after the break-in. This was also supposedly planned months in advance and has nothing to do with the incident.
cyber news He said the hackers contacted the museum director via SMS and threatened to release the stolen files on the dark web unless a ransom payment was made. We don’t know what the response was, but so far nothing has been leaked.
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