Organized thieves are using hacked freight accounts, malicious links, fake identities and falsified tracking data to steal high-value data center equipment from trucks. NBC News, which spoke with “several industry leaders, consultants and investigators advising law enforcement,” reported that more than $100 million in data center cargo has been stolen since June.
How the thefts work
Thieves first hack freight brokers’ accounts on freight-listing websites and post fake shipments to attract legitimate bids. They then send malicious links to trucking companies that respond. When a victim clicks one of those links, the attackers can install software that takes control of the company’s account and allows them to bid on real shipments.
In some cases, legitimate delivery drivers are hired to collect the cargo without knowing about the fraud. In others, thieves use fake driver’s licenses to recruit accomplices. The equipment ultimately ends up with drivers working with the thieves, who resell it. In one of the largest thefts, the criminals also falsified tracking coordinates to thwart digital surveillance.
According to NBC News, commonly targeted goods include “servers, fiber optic cables, computer memory chips, copper wire, and Bitcoin mining machines.”
Data center equipment among stolen cargo
Some targeted trailers appeared to be carrying only data center equipment. Two stolen cargo vehicles recovered in Illinois contained copper wire spools valued at $300,000 and approximately $1 million worth of “custom-made data center modular power solution equipment,” according to NBC News and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Other trucks carried data center equipment alongside unrelated goods. In a case reported by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, data center cooling equipment for Deepcool AI was recovered with nicotine pouches, televisions, shoes, printers, speakers and skin care products.
Experts are concerned that the thefts could cause extensive damage—not only to the artificial intelligence industry, but also to Americans more broadly.
Off-duty police officers targeted
Although some stolen goods have been recovered, NBC News reported that no equipment was found in two of the largest thefts it investigated. In those cases, off-duty police officers hired to escort the shipments were targeted in hit-and-run incidents.
Source: arstechnica.com
