The Secret Service Seized A Network Capable Of Shutting Down New York City's Cell Service

The Secret Service says it thwarted a telecommunications cyber-op successful New York City. On Tuesday, nan agency announced that it seized a web of SIM servers. It was tin of jamming compartment towers, conducting DDoS attacks and enabling encrypted communications. The find came up of world leaders gathering for nan UN General Assembly this week.

The network, reportedly discovered successful August, was extended and sophisticated. It included complete 300 SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards crossed aggregate sites. A Secret Service charismatic told The New York Times that it was powerful capable to nonstop 30 cardinal anonymous matter messages per minute. Photos provided by nan Secret Service (below) show racks of SIM- and antenna-laden servers.

"This web had nan imaginable to disable compartment telephone towers and fundamentally unopen down nan cellular web successful New York City," typical supplier Matt McCool said successful a video statement. He said an early study points to communications betwixt astatine slightest 1 overseas state and "individuals that are known to national rule enforcement," which reportedly includes cartel members.

McCool added that, owed to nan sensitivity and complexity of nan investigation, he couldn't spell into specifics. Cybersecurity interrogator James A. Lewis told The New York Times that only a fistful of countries were tin of pulling that off, including Russia, China and Israel. Another information expert, Anthony J. Ferrante of FTI, said nan web could person besides been utilized for eavesdropping. "My small heart is this is espionage," he told nan Times.

Secret Service officials told The New York Times that location was nary circumstantial accusation that nan web posed a threat to nan UN conference. Regardless, nan confiscated devices were concentrated wrong a 35-mile radius of nan assembly. The agency is responsible for information astatine nan gathering.

"This is an unfastened and progressive investigation, and we person nary arrests to denote today," McCool said successful his statement. "The Secret Service will proceed to tally down each leads until we afloat understand nan intent of nan cognition and place those responsible."