The U.S. Secret Service dismantled a network of electronic devices spread across the New York tristate area that posed an imminent threat to protective operations for senior U.S. officials. The network included more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards capable of carrying out a wide range of telecommunications-related attacks.
Investigators found that the devices had been used to make anonymous telephonic threats and could potentially disable cell towers, enable denial-of-service attacks, or provide encrypted communication channels for criminal or nation-state actors. Early forensic analysis indicated active communications between foreign threat actors and individuals already known to federal law enforcement. The concentration of equipment—within 35 miles (56 km) of the United Nations General Assembly in New York—prompted urgent action.
The Secret Service’s newly established Advanced Threat Interdiction Unit led the investigation, with support from the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the NYPD, and other state and local agencies. The inquiry remains active as federal agents analyze the seized devices.
- More than 300 SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards seized
- Devices concentrated near the United Nations General Assembly in New York
- Capabilities included disabling towers, DoS attacks, and encrypted communications
- Evidence of links to nation-state threat actors under investigation
- Secret Service Advanced Threat Interdiction Unit leading the case
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” said U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran. “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.”
