The Secret Service has exposed a vast network of servers and SIM cards in New York, suspected to be linked to a nation, potentially for espionage. This discovery comes as world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly. The network, capable of disrupting mobile traffic and conducting anonymous attacks, raises concerns about its use for mass surveillance.
Massive Network Uncovered Ahead of UN Summit
Massive Network Uncovered Ahead of UN Summit
The Secret Service has uncovered a vast network comprising hundreds of servers and hundreds of thousands of SIM cards as world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly. The scale of the operation suggests a nation is behind it, reports the New York Times.
“My instinct is that this is about espionage,” says cybersecurity expert Anthony J Ferrante to the newspaper.
The raids took place in August, but it was only on Tuesday that the Secret Service, responsible for security during the ongoing UN conference, chose to disclose the revelation.
The network consists of 300 SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards, all discovered in the New York area, within a 60-mile radius of the UN headquarters.
Investigation into Links with the UN Meeting
The scale of the operation leads experts to suspect a nation is behind it, according to the New York Times.
The network had the capacity to disrupt mobile traffic and conduct anonymous phone attacks by sending 30 million anonymous SMS per minute.
The Secret Service has never seen anything like this when it comes to illegal networks, a spokesperson told the New York Times.
“We will continue to work to identify those responsible and their motives, including whether their plan was to disrupt the UN General Assembly and communications between governments and emergency personnel during official visits from world leaders in and around New York City,” says Matt McCool, a senior official at the Secret Service New York office, in a video statement.
Connection to Unknown Nation
However, the network could also have been used for mass surveillance, according to experts contacted by the New York Times.
“My instinct is that this is about espionage,” says Anthony J Ferrante, who has held top cybersecurity positions at the White House and FBI, to the newspaper.
Only a handful of nations are capable of building and operating such a large network – including Russia, China, and Israel, says cybersecurity specialist James A Lewis to the New York Times.
An initial analysis of the SIM cards has shown connections to at least one nation and criminal cartel members known to the security service from before, according to the Secret Service.
The seizures were made after a month-long investigation that began with the Secret Service investigating anonymous phone threats to three U.S. government officials.