Highway thieves use spoofed GPS to steal data center cargo
Hacked broker accounts and fake drivers help crews take millions in servers and cable.
Curious#08
$100M
Data center freight stolen since June
Image: Ars Technica
$100MData center freight stolen since June
The short version
- NBC News reported that since June, thieves have made away with more than $100 million in data center freight.
- Thieves hack freight broker accounts, post fake shipments, and send malicious links to trucking companies that respond.
- In one of the largest thefts, tracking coordinates were spoofed to prevent digital monitoring.
- In two of the largest thefts, none of the equipment was found, and off-duty police escorts were targeted in hit-and-runs.
Why it matters
Stolen equipment is often broken down and sold on gray markets to tech firms, and overseas buyers are sometimes lined up before a theft. For the AI build-out, this means the physical supply chain for data centers is now a target. Developers and operators may need to vet drivers and clients more carefully.
“The only way this works is if the drivers are not properly vetted”