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59m ago

Secret Service Dismantles Covert SIM-Server Network Near U.N., Citing Imminent Telecom Threat

Early forensics point to contacts between foreign actors and individuals known to U.S. law enforcement, with attribution and arrests pending.

Law enforcement officials discovered over 300 SIM servers within 35 miles of New York City, which they believe are being used by foreign governments and criminals in the US.
Image
Left, Secret Service Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office Matt McCool in a video shared by the agency detailing the uncovering of a telecoms threat. Right, some of the equipment discovered by the Secret Service across the New York tristate area.
Law enforcement officials uncovered over 300 SIM servers all within the New York tristate area.

Overview

  • Agents seized more than 300 SIM servers and roughly 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites within 35 miles of U.N. headquarters in New York.
  • Investigators say the system could disable cell towers, jam 911 calls and flood networks, with capacity estimated at up to 30 million texts per minute.
  • The discovery stemmed from a Secret Service protective‑intelligence probe launched after telecommunications threats against senior U.S. officials in the spring.
  • The network has been dismantled and no immediate threat remains, as a multiagency forensic review of the seized devices continues with DHS/HSI, DOJ, ODNI and the NYPD.
  • Officials have not announced arrests; some outlets reported an unconfirmed possible link to China, which the Secret Service has not publicly validated.