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Tony Seruga @TonySeruga - I have to tread lightly here but you all have a right to know. Those who have followed me for sometime, I’m sure you can read between the lines. I will go into further detail in a Substack soon.
The U.S. Secret Service announced on September 23, 2025, that it had dismantled a sophisticated telecommunications network spanning the New York tristate area, just ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
This operation stemmed from a monthlong protective intelligence investigation into anonymous telephonic threats— including swatting calls—targeting senior U.S. government officials.
Agents uncovered the network across five locations within a 35-mile radius of UN headquarters, seizing more than 300 co-located SIM servers and over 100,000 SIM cards.
These "SIM farms" (clusters of SIM cards connected to servers for bulk operations) were capable of overwhelming cellular networks by sending up to 30 million text messages per minute, spoofing caller IDs, conducting denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and enabling encrypted, anonymous communications.
The system posed an imminent risk to the Secret Service's protective operations during high-profile events like the UNGA, where world leaders, including President Donald Trump, were gathered. While no direct plot to disrupt the UNGA was confirmed, the timing and proximity raised alarms about potential interference with official communications or emergency responses.
But Who Was Responsible?
Investigators have not publicly identified specific individuals or organizations, as forensic analysis of the seized devices remains ongoing.
However, early examinations revealed cellular communications linking the network to nation-state actors and U.S.-known criminals, including members of drug cartels.
FACT: only a few advanced nations could orchestrate such a large-scale operation, with Russia, China, and Israel, due to their capabilities in cyber-espionage and telecom disruption.
The network's sophistication—estimated to have cost millions of dollars—points to state-sponsored involvement, potentially for surveillance, eavesdropping on UN proceedings, or coordinating threats against officials.
No arrests have been announced, but the Secret Service emphasized ties to foreign governments facilitating communications with organized crime enterprises.
Ramifications
The takedown averted what officials described as a "catastrophic" scenario for New York City, including the collapse of cellular service, jamming of 911 calls, and network flooding that could paralyze transportation systems like subways, airports, and bridges during the UNGA.
This could have isolated emergency responders, hospitals, and police, exacerbating any concurrent threats.
Broader implications include heightened awareness of "SIM farms" as a tool for hybrid warfare, blending cyber and physical disruption— a "new frontier of risk" for urban security during international events.