As world leaders gathered in Manhattan for the United Nations General Assembly last month, the U.S. Secret Service announced it had disrupted a China-linked plot targeting cellular networks in the New York tristate area. Ben Smith covered this story here.
In a September 23 news release, the Secret Service reported it had:
[D]ismantled a network of electronic devices located throughout the New York tristate area that were used to conduct multiple telecommunications-related threats directed towards senior U.S. government officials, which represented an imminent threat to the agency’s protective operations.This protective intelligence investigation 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. This includes disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial of services attacks and facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran warned at the time:
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed 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.”
Last week, law enforcement sources told ABC News that the magnitude of this plot was three times bigger than they had originally believed.
ABC reported that investigators have since discovered more locations and equipment as the probe continues. The sources emphasized that the China-linked plot had the potential to cripple every cell tower in New York City, jam 911 calls, and sow chaos across vital communications networks.
Specifically, the sources reported:
Agents from Homeland Security Investigations found an additional 200,000 SIM cards at a location in New Jersey.That’s double the 100,000 SIM cards, along with hundreds of servers, that were recently seized at five other vacant offices and apartments in and around the city.Investigators secured each of those locations, seized the electronics, and are now trying to track down who rented the spaces and filled them with shelves full of gear capable of sending 30 million anonymous text messages every minute, overloading communications and blacking out cellular service in a city that relies on it for emergency response and counterterrorism….The investigation began after several high-level people, including at least one with direct access to President Donald Trump, were targeted not only by swatters but also with actual threats received on their private phones.
ABC News contributor Don Mihalek, a former Secret Service agent, noted, “The potential threat these data centers pose to the public could include shutting down critical resources that the public needs, like the 911 system, or potentially impacting the public’s ability to communicate everything, including business transactions.”
The report states that no arrests have been made. And with the Secret Service attributing the plot to China, accountability may prove elusive.
This latest revelation serves as a stark reminder that the U.S. faces numerous adversaries — many of whom have become increasingly sophisticated in their command of technology and cyberspace.
While this plot was uncovered before it could inflict real damage, it underscores how vulnerable modern infrastructure remains to disruption. As threats evolve beyond traditional battlefields and into the digital and informational domains, vigilance is not optional — it is essential.
Government agencies must remain hyper-aware that our adversaries are constantly searching for weaknesses in our systems and infrastructure to exploit. Our national security depends on prevention.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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