US Secret Service dismantles telecom threat around UNGA

The U.S. Secret Service has dismantled a stockpile of devices in the New York area that were “capable of crippling telecom systems and carrying out anonymous telephonic attacks,” as world leaders arrive in the city for the UN General Assembly. The cache, made up of more than 300 SIM servers packed with over 100,000 SIM cards and clustered within 35 miles of the United Nations, represents one of the most sweeping communications threats uncovered on U.S. soil. Investigators warn the system could have blacked out cellular service in a city that relies on it not only for daily life but for emergency response and counterterrorism.The agency said it discovered the network of electronic devices that were used to “conduct multiple telecommunications-related threats directed towards senior U.S. government officials” and could send up to 30 million text messages a minute. They discovered the devices within 35 miles of the UN’s headquarters.

The Secret Service dismantled a network of more than 300 SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards in the New York-area that were capable of crippling telecom systems and carrying out anonymous telephonic attacks, disrupting the threat before world leaders arrived for the UN General… pic.twitter.com/sZKUeGqvGY

— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) September 23, 2025

US Secret Service Director Sean Curran said that the potential for disruption to America's telecommunications by this network of devices cannot be overstated.“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,” Curran said.