The United States Secret Service on Tuesday announced it had dismantled a network of over 100,000 SIM cards that posed a potential threat to New York’s telecommunications infrastructure ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
In an official statement, the agency said the devices could have been used to launch a variety of attacks, including disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, and facilitating encrypted communications between criminal entities and state-backed actors.
“In addition to carrying out anonymous telephonic threats, these devices could be used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks,” the agency said.
The high-level UNGA debate is set to begin in New York on Tuesday, with US President Donald Trump scheduled to address the summit on its opening day.
The Secret Service confirmed that the devices were discovered within a 35-mile (56-kilometer) radius of the UN headquarters in Manhattan.
“Given the timing, location, and potential for significant disruption to New York’s telecommunications, the agency moved swiftly to neutralize this network,” the statement added.
While forensic analysis and broader investigations are ongoing, preliminary findings suggest links between “nation-state threat actors” and individuals already known to federal law enforcement.
