Elon Musk’s One-Word Reply After $102 Million Louvre Heist Exposed Weak Password

Last Updated:November 06, 2025, 18:10 IST

Elon Musk’s reply came to a report, which revealed that a shockingly simple password – ‘Louvre’ – protected the Louvre Museum’s surveillance system after the daring heist.

Elon Musk responded to the security breach in the Louvre museum. (Reuters)

In a major security lapse, it was revealed that a shockingly simple password protected the Louvre Museum’s surveillance system – ‘Louvre’ – a lapse which made it easier for thieves to carry out a stunning $102 million (Rs 900 crore) jewel heist, according to investigators.

On October 19, thieves wielding power tools raided the Louvre, the world’s most visited art museum, in broad daylight and stole jewellery worth an estimated $102 million. According to a minister’s estimate, the entire operation lasted “almost four minutes”. Other sources pegged the heist to “around seven minutes”.

The stolen haul consisted of at least eight or nine items from the French crown jewels collection: tiaras, necklaces, earrings, brooches, many with connections to the Napoleonic era, such as pieces belonging to Empress Eugénie and Queen Marie-Amélie, according to reports.

A museum employee revealed to ABC News that the password to the world-famous museum’s video surveillance system was simply “Louvre”, which deepened outrage over security failures that enabled an Ocean’s 11-style robbery in broad daylight.

“If you feel like you’re bad at your job and it’s making you depressed, just consider that, as the investigation of the recent heist revealed, the password to access the Louvre’s video surveillance system was “Louvre”,” read a social media post.

This prompted a response from tech mogul Elon Musk, who gave a one-word reply: “Wow”.

During testimony last month, Louvre director Laurence des Cars admitted to major lapses, from insufficient exterior cameras to blind spots that left the very window used by the thieves unmonitored.

The heist — which exposed serious security lapses at the world’s most-visited museum — has been described in French media as a “national embarrassment,” intensifying pressure on cultural and law enforcement authorities to recover the stolen treasures.

Police arrested two suspects a week after the heist: a 34-year-old Algerian detained while trying to board a flight home and a 39-year-old man already under judicial supervision for aggravated theft. Two more suspects- a 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman- were later charged.

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Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…

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