U.S Secret Service agents dismantled a vast SIM farm network near New York that posed an imminent telecom threat to senior officials during the UN General Assembly
Federal agents have disrupted a large network of illicit telecom devices that threatened senior U.S. government officials and carried signs of foreign involvement, the U.S. Secret Service announced Tuesday.
According to a statement, agents seized more than 300 SIM card servers and 100,000 SIM cards from multiple sites within 35 miles of New York City. Officials said the operation was urgent because any attack could have crippled communications as world leaders gathered for the United Nations General Assembly.
The agency did not identify the threatened officials, detail the nature of the threat, or name any country suspected of involvement, citing diplomatic sensitivities during the UN meetings. “The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said. He added that the swift action “makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled.”
Authorities believe SIM farms can be used to send anonymous threats, disable cell towers, or overload communications networks. Investigators have not confirmed whether the operation is linked to incidents earlier this year in which unknown actors impersonated White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio through fake messaging accounts.
Britain recently banned possession or supply of SIM farms without a legitimate reason, citing their use in “smishing” attacks impersonating delivery services or banks.