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1h ago

Secret Service Dismantles Massive SIM Farm Threat Near U.N.

Investigators now pursue attribution after initial findings suggested links to nation-state actors plus known criminals.

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.
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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 clustered within 35 miles of United Nations headquarters.
  • Officials say the covert setup could jam 911, disable cell towers, overwhelm networks, and send up to 30 million text messages per minute.
  • The takedown stemmed from a spring protective‑intelligence probe into telecommunications threats targeting senior U.S. officials.
  • No specific plot against the General Assembly was identified, and the recovered equipment no longer poses a threat as forensic review of calls and texts continues.
  • Homeland Security Investigations, the Justice Department, ODNI and the NYPD supported the operation, and authorities warn similar infrastructures may exist elsewhere.