Illegal network found near UN headquarters

 DC Daily Journal:

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The U.S. Secret Service revealed Tuesday that it had uncovered and seized a sprawling network of illegal electronic devices in the New York tri-state area, capable of overwhelming cell towers and disrupting emergency communications just as world leaders arrived for the United Nations General Assembly.

The operation, conducted in August, netted more than 300 co-located SIM servers and over 100,000 SIM cards at multiple sites within a 35-mile radius of the UN, including abandoned apartment buildings. This marks one of the largest such seizures on record, with investigators emphasizing the system’s potential to flood networks with up to 30 million text messages per minute or jam 911 calls entirely.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran described the find as critical, stating, “The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated.”

The agency’s Advanced Threat Interdiction Unit led the effort, which began in the spring amid reports of telecom threats against senior U.S. officials. Agents discovered rows of servers and shelves of activated and unused SIM cards during raids, along with additional items like 80 grams of cocaine, illegal firearms, computers, and cellphones. No direct link to a plot against the UNGA has surfaced, and officials confirmed no ongoing threats to New York City, but the proximity raised alarms given the event’s high security demands.

The seized equipment posed risks far beyond routine interference, with the ability to disable cell towers and mimic the cellular blackouts seen after the 9/11 attacks, when overwhelmed networks left residents unable to communicate.

Early forensic reviews indicate the network facilitated encrypted communications between nation-state actors and U.S.-known entities, including organized crime groups, drug cartels, human trafficking rings, and possibly terrorist organizations.

The Secret Service, in collaboration with the New York Police Department, Justice Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, acted swiftly due to the timing.
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Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office, explained in a video statement, “It can take down cell towers, so then no longer can people communicate, right? …. You can’t text message, you can’t use your cell phone. And if you coupled that with some sort of other event associated with UNGA, you know, use your imagination there, it could be catastrophic to the city.”

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The story does not indicate who was responsible for the illegal electronic devices. I suspect Russia or China may have been responsible for the SIM servers and SIM cards.  I suspect China was probably more capable of setting up the SIM cards and servers. 

See also:

BREAKING: Secret Service Foils ‘Electronic Plot’ Targeting Top Officials