The threats were directed towards senior US government officials and represented an immediate threat to the agency’s operations. The US Secret Service said its protective intelligence investigation has led to the discovery of more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites.
“In addition to carrying out anonymous telephonic threats, these devices could be used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks,” the US Secret Service said via an online statement. “This includes disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial of services attacks and facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.’
It added: “While forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement.”
According to the US Secret Service, the devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the global meeting of the United Nations General Assembly now underway in New York City. The timing, location and potential for significant disruption to telecommunications systems in New York led to the agency quickly intervening. Its Advanced Threat Interdiction Unit, a new part of the agency dedicated to disrupting the most significant and imminent threats, is conducting further investigation.
According to one official, as reported by The Guardian, the malicious network could send up to 30 million text messages per minute without revealing the identity of the sender. Although investigators have not found any direct evidence to link the system to a threat against the UN event, the Secret Service acted quickly to ensure the network is no longer active.
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” said US Secret Service Director Sean Curran. “The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled.”
The news comes after a string of cyberattacks and threats targeting the global telecommunications industry. Leading telco companies including Orange, Bouygues Telecom and Colt have been hit by cyberattacks this year, exposing customer accounts and forcing companies to defend their networks and rebuild trust.
Just last week, a cyberattack on software used by Heathrow and other major European airports forced systems offline and caused significant delays for passengers and airlines.
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