Anthony Yates
The US Secret Service revealed that they dismantled an extensive network of electronic devices across NYC. The devices could potentially disable cell phone towers and disrupt 911 calls on a mass scale.
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What happened: The US Secret Service detailed the operation in a press release on September 23. They noted that the devices were just 35 miles away from the United Nations General Assembly’s global meeting, which is currently underway.
- Authorities uncovered “more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites.” The Secret Service explains that the devices could be used to carry out “anonymous telephonic threats.”
- Owing to the sheer number of devices, they could also disrupt cell phone towers and enable “denial of service” attacks.
A well-funded setup: The Secret Service called the operation a “well-funded” setup. They noted that the operation spanned multiple abandoned apartment buildings and could send 30 million text messages per minute. Authorities also shared images of one of the server farms.
Authorities explained that the potential disruption could “essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City.” It remains unclear when officers seized the devices.
The Recovered Devices No Longer Pose A Threat To The NYC Tri-State Area
Forensic examination is underway: The Secret Service explains that the recovered devices no longer pose a threat. Authorities are investigating whether the plan was to disrupt the United Nations General Assembly’s meeting.
- The news release does not reveal the identities of any suspects, owing to the sensitive situation. However, authorities do mention “cellular communication between foreign actors and individuals known to federal law enforcement.” Forensic investigators are reportedly working through “100,000 cell phones worth of data.”
- US Secret Service Director Sean Curran described the severity of the discovery. “The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” he said. “The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down, and dismantled.”
