The British Museum, one of the world’s most visited cultural institutions, was forced to temporarily close several galleries and exhibitions this weekend after a disgruntled former tech contractor reportedly sabotaged its IT infrastructure. The incident occurred late last week, when the contractor who had been recently dismissed gained unauthorized access to restricted areas of the museum.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the contractor managed to shut down key systems, including the museum’s ticketing platform, causing widespread disruption. As a result, only a limited number of ticket holders were able to access paid exhibitions, including the highly anticipated Silk Roads show.
Aa per a museum's spokesperson, "an IT contractor who was dismissed last week trespassed into the museum and shut down several of our systems. Police attended and arrested him at the scene."
The individual, a man in his 50s, was taken into custody on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage.
Although the museum remained open over the weekend, the outage left many visitors unable to access the paid-for exhibitions, with staff redirecting visitors to free galleries and installations. Museum officials are working to restore full functionality to their systems and ensure the issue does not impact future bookings.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the sabotage, and the former contractor is expected to appear in court later this week.
