Gallery Systems suffered a cyberattack, impacting online museums

Gallery Systems, a prominent museum software solutions provider, faces a ransomware attack that disrupted online museum collections. The December 28, 2023 incident forced Gallery Systems to take down its systems to isolate the breach and prevent its spread across other devices.

Gallery Systems is one of the most recognised entities in the gallery and collection management software field. The company’s extensive reach boasts an impressive client portfolio that includes over 800 museums globally, including the renowned Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met).

Unfortunately, the hack has affected numerous prestigious institutions, including the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation, the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

 

Gallery Systems stated that the ransomware campaign had encrypted its computer systems.

 

Gallery Systems software’s computer systems have been inoperable after the ransomware attack encrypted its critical computer systems.

In a customer notification, the company addressed the severity of the situation and thanked its clients for their patience during the ongoing efforts to recover access to their software. Based on reports, the restoration process involves the launch of the last available backup to restore lost data.

Unfortunately, one of the critical casualties of the hack was the online public viewing platform eMuseum, which hosts several Gallery Systems services. Museums and educational institutions employ eMuseum to generate searchable online collections and exhibitions through emuseum.com subdomains. These platforms are offline as the company prioritises responding to the cyberattack.

Gallery Systems has already notified law enforcement authorities and begun an internal investigation to assess the extent of the breach. In addition, the company has assured its clients that they will provide updates as soon as they find more details in their investigations.

On the other hand, no ransomware group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, leaving the identity of the threat actors unknown. Gallery Systems has not responded to further inquiries about the ransomware attack. Affiliated parties should be vigilant with their online presence, as the attackers could exploit this breach to execute other malicious campaigns.