Technology
AWS unable to restore Middle East data centers six months after drone strikes
Amazon acknowledged permanent data loss in Bahrain and the UAE following March attacks attributed to Iran.
The short version
- Amazon Web Services declared it cannot restore access to cloud resources or data stored exclusively in Bahrain and one UAE availability zone.[CNBC · Ars Technica]
- The damage stems from March drone strikes targeting regional facilities, which Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for.[CNBC]
- AWS advised customers to transfer workloads to other regions amid warnings of ongoing Middle East operational instability.[CNBC]
- The UAE is evaluating plans to disperse data infrastructure and enhance security measures for future facilities.[CNBC]
Key facts
- AWS reported that physical damage at multiple Bahrain sites exceeded its designed service tolerances, leading to permanent loss of exclusively hosted data.[CNBC · Ars Technica]
- AWS remains unable to recover data from one affected availability zone in the UAE, but is actively working to restore two other UAE zones.[CNBC]
- In March, drone strikes directly hit two Amazon data centers in the UAE and damaged an additional facility in Bahrain.[CNBC]
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the March strikes, citing Amazon's support for the U.S. military.[CNBC]
- The UAE is considering revising major data center projects to include dispersed sites, underground facilities, and missile defense systems.[CNBC]
What remains uncertain
- The timeline for fully restoring the remaining two damaged UAE availability zones remains unconfirmed.[CNBC]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.