Secret Service Disrupts Network of Devices Threatening NYC Telecom During UN Assembly

New York — The U.S. Secret Service dismantled a network of electronic devices in the New York tristate area used to issue telecommunications-related threats against senior U.S. government officials, the agency announced Tuesday. The devices, located within 35 miles of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York City, posed a potential threat to the region's cellular network.

Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office, said the network "had the potential to disable cellphone towers and essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City." The agency recovered over 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites.

The Secret Service stated the devices could facilitate anonymous telephonic threats, denial-of-service attacks, and encrypted communications between potential threat actors, including nation-state actors and individuals known to federal law enforcement. Forensic analysis of the devices, equivalent to 100,000 cell phones’ worth of data, is ongoing to determine the actors involved and their intent, including whether the network aimed to disrupt the UN General Assembly or communications of government and emergency personnel.

"These recovered devices no longer pose a threat to the New York tristate area," McCool said. The investigation began this spring following multiple imminent threats against senior officials.

The Secret Service’s Advanced Threat Interdiction Unit is leading the effort, supported by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the New York Police Department, and other state and local law enforcement partners.

"The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network cannot be overstated," said U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran. "This investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down, and dismantled."

The agency acted swiftly due to the timing, location, and significant risk to New York’s telecommunications infrastructure during the UN General Assembly.