Uffizi Galleries Cyberattack: Masterpieces at Risk

0:00It's April 3rd. From every corner of the globe, this is Global News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Floorances of featsy galleries, home to masterpieces like Botticelli's Birth of Venus, faced a major cyber attack back in late January or early February. Hackers broke into the network, hitting servers at the Ufeatsy, Palazzo Pitti and Baboli Gardens. As a precaution, the museum rushed its most precious jewels from the Treasury of the Grand Dukes to the Bank of Italy. They even sent a ransom demand straight to director Simone Verde's phone. Attackers grabbed entry codes, passwords, alarmed details, and internal maps, then wiped some servers clean. Museum officials stayed tight-lipped, with no comment from Verde, the culture ministry, or police. The Ufeatsy pulls in about 60 million euros a year, making it Italy's second busiest spot, so this hit hard. The Treasury shut down from February 3rd for what they call maintenance, but no word on reopening.

1:00Hackers also snatched the full digital photo archive, decades of images, and docks gone. Security stays ramped up with sealed doors and exits, while cops probe the breach. This comes amid a wave of art heists, like last year's Louvre Jewelgrave, and recent painting thefts in Italy museums worldwide on High Alert Now.