British Museum says ex-contractor 'shut down' IT systems, wreaked havoc

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 ...