MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Data centers are a new target in modern warfare as Iranian military officials promise a sweeping wave of digital disruption that now stretches into the U.S.
Data centers house the equipment required to power everything from banking apps to cloud services to artificial intelligence.
They’re now considered critical infrastructure like power plants, hospitals and railroads.
Cybersecurity expert Dr. David Utzke told Action News 5 that today’s wartime hackers are no longer focused on financial extortion through ransomware attacks. Their goal, he said, is data destruction across healthcare, banking, education and AI sectors.
“It’s no longer attacking defense contractors, things of that nature, it’s actually going after the private sector which is going to a lot of times be more disruptive to the larger civilian population,” Utzke said.
Iran targets data infrastructure
Iranian military officials declared war on data centers in the Middle East, with drones taking out three Amazon Web Services facilities. Those weapons can’t reach U.S. soil, but hactivists can.
Pro-Iranian hackers claimed responsibility for a cyber attack this week that crippled U.S. medical device company Stryker, gaining access through a Microsoft system linking personal devices to the business network.
Michigan-based Stryker has two offices in Memphis, one on Cherry Road, the other in Arlington. Employees report being locked out of their computers and having their personal devices wiped of all data.
Memphis in the crosshairs
KeShaun Pearson, founder of Memphis Community Against Pollution, said he is concerned that xAI’s data centers make Memphis a target. The Department of Defense awarded xAI a $200 million contract, and Pearson said the presence of that infrastructure carries risk.
“When you think about military operations and where this information will live, that makes Memphis a target to folks who are looking to hurt, harm or put the United States in danger,” Pearson said.
Cloud infrastructure a known vulnerability
The Iran conflict is now forcing U.S. tech companies, including xAI, to overhaul risk assessment protocols. Utzke said the threat is real, though not necessarily imminent.
“I don’t want to have your viewers believe that there’s this imminent threat but cloud infrastructure is a vulnerability,” Utzke said, adding, “there is a threat.”
Dr. Utzke says U.S. companies should carefully review and tighten up their cyber security systems.
Personal phones and devices, he adds, should not be used in private business or government agencies because they lack the proper software to protect them from sophisticated cyber attacks.
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