British Museum says ex-contractor ‘shut down’ IT systems, wreaked havoc – Source: go.theregister.com

The British Museum was forced to temporarily close some galleries and exhibitions this weekend after a disgruntled former tech contractor went rogue and shuttered some onsite IT systems.

The freelancer gained entry to an unauthorized area late last week to wreak havoc, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

A spokesperson for the public museum in central London, which houses eight million works related to human history, art, and culture, told The Register at the weekend: “An IT contractor who was dismissed last week trespassed into the museum and shut down several of our systems. Police attended and he was arrested at the scene.

“We are working hard to get the museum back to being fully operational but with regret our temporary exhibitions have been closed today (January 25) and will remain so over the weekend – ticket holders have been alerted and refunds offered.”

We asked the British Museum how the former contractor gained entry, and for further details on the technical tampering that took place. We also asked about the impact it had on visitor numbers, the financial cost, and when normal service will resume.

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The spokesperson said they had nothing further to add at this stage.

The Met told us they were called to the institute on January 23 at approximately 2025 UTC to “reports that a man had entered the British Museum and caused damage to the museum’s security and IT systems.

“Police swiftly attended and arrested a man in his 50s at the scene on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage. He has been bailed pending further inquiries.”

According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, the British Museum was Britain’s most popular attraction last year, up 42 percent since 2022 to more than 5.8 million guests. It houses the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, and the Younger Memnon bust of Ramesses II.

Special exhibitions on at present include Silk Roads, Hew Locke, and Picasso.

The police did not respond to our specific questions about how the former contractor gained access to the museum’s IT systems or the damage they caused. ®