A cyberattack on the Dresden State Art Collections was detected on Wednesday, with the museums remaining open but certain operations put on pause as a result. Among the latter are the museum network’s online shop and visitor services.
As reported by Monopol on Thursday, the Dresden State Art Collections—a network of some 15 museums in the east of Germany—issued a statement reading, “Large parts of the digital infrastructure are affected. IT specialists and IT forensics service providers are working simultaneously to clean up and rebuild the systems.”
The museums are working with the Dresden Police Department and the State Criminal Police Office, according to Monopol—which added “It is not yet clear when all affected systems will be back online.”
A statement issued by the Saxon State Minister for Culture and Tourism says “the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD) were the victims of a targeted hacker attack” and that “large parts of the digital infrastructure were affected. At the same time, the security system remains unaffected and fully functional. The physical and technical security is also completely intact. The museums remain open to visitors.”
The Dresdent State Art Collections present exhibitions in settings including the Green Vault in Dresden Castle, the Old Masters Picture Gallery in the Zwinger Palace, and the New Masters Gallery in the Albertinum. Among its treasured holdings are works by Raphael, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Rodin, as well other artworks from the past into contemporary realms.
The museum network’s website currently shows only the operating hours and a note about “limited availability” that reads: “Due to a cyberattack, large parts of the digital infrastructure of the Dresden State Art Collections are currently only available to a limited extent.”
