Secret Service seized 100K SIMs, 300 servers related to hidden network near UN Assembly

As world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations general assembly, the US Secret Service dismantled a hidden telecom network that investigators say had the potential to cripple cellular service across the city, according to a recent report by The Guardian.

According to the report, the hidden network which was discovered within 56 kilometres of the UN headquarters in Manhattan, contained more than 300 servers and over 100,000 SIM cards. According to investigators, the equipment could have disrupted cell towers, jammed emergency calls and overwhelmed networks, posing a significant risk during one of the city's busiest and most vulnerable weeks.

Officials said that they had not uncovered a direct plot to disrupt the diplomatic gathering and that there were no credible threats to New York City. However, forensic analysis of the cache is under way, with agents examining what they describe as the equivalent of 100,000 mobile phones' worth of data. Investigators believe the network may have been used by nation-state actors to communicate with organised crime groups, cartels and terrorist organisations, though no groups have yet been named, as per the report.

When agents entered the sites, they found rows of servers and shelves stacked with SIM cards. More than 100,000 were already active, and large quantities remained unused, suggesting the network was being prepared for expansion, as per the report.

Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service's New York field office, described the operation as highly organised and well-funded, costing millions of dollars in equipment alone. According to the investigators, the system had the capacity to send up to 30 million text messages a minute, mentions the report.

The discovery comes at a time when there is growing concern about 'SIM farms', which can be used for smishing, fraudulent text messages that impersonate trusted services, to steal data or spread malware. 

Earlier, the UK moved to restrict the possession of SIM farms without legitimate purpose.