https://www.zerohedge.com/tech...wn-nyc-cell-networks

Hours before President Donald Trump's address to the United Nations General Assembly, the U.S. Secret Service announced that it had dismantled a massive, decentralized SIM farm network, just 35 miles from New York City, hidden inside five abandoned apartment buildings. The telecommunications stealth weapon was capable of paralyzing regional cell networks through denial-of-service attacks.

Key Details from the Secret Service Report:

Investigators seized 300 SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites.

The devices enabled anonymous threats, encrypted communications, and could launch telecom attacks such as:

Disabling cell towers

Denial-of-service attacks

Secure communication for criminal enterprises

Early analysis shows links between nation-state actors and known criminals.

CBS News described the seizure as the largest of its kind, noting the network was scattered across abandoned apartment buildings at more than five sites, roughly 35 miles from New York City.



"This network had the potential to disable cell phone towers and essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City," Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool stated in a video released in the report by the agency.



Beyond DDoS attacks, the SIM farms could also support psychological warfare operations such as:

Mass disinformation campaigns

Emergency false alerts (e.g., fake evacuation texts)

CBS, citing multiple officials briefed on the probe, reported that early findings suggest the network was used for communications between foreign governments and individuals already known to U.S. law enforcement.

In our view, the likelihood of this being part of a larger threat vector for potential physical terrorism appears elevated. Consider this: disrupting communications in tandem with a physical attack would be the playbook for foreign adversaries - or perhaps even the globalist ...


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u...-n-general-assembly/

The Secret Service has disrupted a sprawling telecommunications network in the New York tri-state area that investigators say posed a serious potential disruption to New York's telecom systems and a possible threat to the United Nations General Assembly meetings this week.

In the largest seizure of its kind, the U.S. Secret Service announced Tuesday that the agency found active SIM farms at abandoned apartment buildings located at more than five sites. In total, law enforcement discovered 300 SIM servers – over 100,000 SIM cards – enabling encrypted, anonymous communication and capable of sending 30 million text messages per minute. Officials say the servers were so powerful they could have disabled cell phone towers and launched distributed denial of services attacks with the ability to block emergency communications like EMS and police dispatch.

"This network had the potential to disable cell phone towers and essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City," U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool said in a video released by the agency.

An official briefed on the investigation told reporters that this week, the sophisticated network "could text message the entire country within 12 minutes," later adding, "This was well organized and well funded."

Telephonic threats to multiple senior U.S. officials this past spring – including multiple people protected by the Secret Service – first triggered the investigation, but officials say the network was seized within the last three weeks.

"We cannot share which officials were targeted out of concerns for their privacy, but as the forensics investigation continues, we do expect that we will find more targeted officials once we get through that data," McCool said.

Early analysis shows the network was used for communication between foreign governments and individuals known to U.S. law enforcement, including members of known organized crime gangs, drug cartels and human trafficking rings, according to multiple officials briefed on the investigation. The U.S. Secret Service says it is combing through the more than 100,000 SIM cards in an ongoing, exhaustive forensic analysis.

"Each SIM basically has the equivalent data of a cell phone. So we're working through every call, every text, every search made on those SIM cards," an official told CBS News, adding, "Early analysis indicates that this network was used for communication between foreign governments and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement here in the U.S."

The equipment was found within 35 miles of the United Nations in New York, ahead of the U.N. General Assembly. Investigators also found 80 grams of cocaine, illegal firearms, plus computers and phones.

"This isn't a group of people in a basement playing a video game and trying to play a prank," one official said. "This was well organized and well funded."

"The timing, the location, the proximity of this network had the potential to impact the U.N. and that was clear and something that we had to consider," added McCool.

The investigation was launched by a new division within the U.S. Secret Service established by Director Sean Curran and dubbed the "Advanced Threat Interdiction Unit," in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations.

"These devices no longer pose any threat to New York," an official said. "We've taken care of and dismantled that threat…There is currently no credible threat against the UN."

Still, another official added that "it would be unwise to assume" there aren't other such networks in the U.S.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to the U.S. Secret Service. There have been no arrests yet, but officials said, "there could be arrests down the road," adding that "from an operational perspective, we want those behind the network to know that the Secret Service is aware and that we're kind of coming for them."

Homeland Security Investigations is leading the criminal investigation into individuals involved in coordinating this large scheme, while the U.S. Secret Service is running down threats tied back to its protectees, according to multiple U.S. officials.

In a statement released by the U.S. Secret Service, the agency also thanked the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the NYPD, as well as other state and local law enforcement partners, for providing technical advice and assistance.

Maybe a reduction in spam calls for a few days??? I'll be curious to see where this investigation leads and how far up the chain they can trace it. There's a big fish at the top somewhere that funded this.

Who bought and owned the farms? That’s what I’d like to know.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Who bought and owned the farms? That’s what I’d like to know.

Yeah, there are a lot of unanswered questions. Hopefully we’ll find out more in the next few days and weeks.

This is just the beginning. Be prepared.

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
This is just the beginning. Be prepared.

Name the top ten ways to be prepared.
Be specific.

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
This is just the beginning. Be prepared.

Name the top ten ways to be prepared.
Be specific.

Well...going waaaayyyy back to my Boy Scout years....
- Be prepared in Mind.
- Be prepared in Body.
Pretty much covers it, eh?

quote:

quote:

... be prepared.
Be specific.

Well...going waaaayyyy back to my Boy Scout years....
- Be prepared in Mind.
- Be prepared in Body.
Pretty much covers it, eh?

Well, mind is mush, body is old, eyes suck, BP meds are upstairs, and I need to poop.

This is going to be a tough one.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Who bought and owned the farms? That’s what I’d like to know.

I can guess that eventually, part of the funding will have come from USAID and then funneled through the usual money laundering methods. As I write this, I am half joking and half expecting it to be true. Here is a Happy Thought!!!!!! Just imagine if the funding came back to a major donor of New York Dims such as AOC, James, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:

This is just the beginning. Be prepared.

Name the top ten ways to be prepared.
Be specific.

Here's one:

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:

Name the top ten ways to be prepared.
Be specific.

Stored drinking water, 2 gallons per day per person. Ideally 30 days worth, but 14 days would be a good start. Water Bricks or similar stackable smaller volume (5 gallons or less each) to make it more portable. Have a pump and a filter to access it, especially if you use larger drums.

Food storage. Enough for 30 days for each person. Canned tuna, canned chicken, canned vegetables. Oatmeal and other cereals. Some treats like candy bars or cookies. Stay a couple weeks ahead on your grocery shopping except for perishables and it is a good start.

Paper products (tissues, tp), personal products (toothpaste etc), basic first aid and otc medications.

Keep your vehicle gas tanks no lower than 1/2 full.

Alternative cooking methods. Different fuels. Electric and natural gas. Propane for an outdoor grill. A camp stove. Lots of matches and disposable lighters.

Flashlights, battery and solar powered lanterns, candles for light. Backup batteries kept fully charged to recharge your cell phone and other electronics.

That'll get you ready for energy being down.

Then, of course, basic home defense tools.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:

Name the top ten ways to be prepared.
Be specific.

Stored drinking water, 2 gallons per day per person. Ideally 30 days worth, but 14 days would be a good start. Water Bricks or similar stackable smaller volume (5 gallons or less each) to make it more portable. Have a pump and a filter to access it, especially if you use larger drums.

Food storage. Enough for 30 days for each person. Canned tuna, canned chicken, canned vegetables. Oatmeal and other cereals. Some treats like candy bars or cookies. Stay a couple weeks ahead on your grocery shopping except for perishables and it is a good start.

Paper products (tissues, tp), personal products (toothpaste etc), basic first aid and otc medications.

Keep your vehicle gas tanks no lower than 1/2 full.

Alternative cooking methods. Different fuels. Electric and natural gas. Propane for an outdoor grill. A camp stove. Lots of matches and disposable lighters.

Flashlights, battery and solar powered lanterns, candles for light. Backup batteries kept fully charged to recharge your cell phone and other electronics.

That'll get you ready for energy being down.

Then, of course, basic home defense tools.

And dog / pet food.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:

This is just the beginning. Be prepared.

Name the top ten ways to be prepared.
Be specific.

Here's one: ...

...

More specific.

35 miles?

there are about 15 million people within 35 miles of the empire state building, and at least that many cell phones. 100,000 SIM card's is nothing.

but this setup is way to expensive for some nobody, and the setup looks to be done with intention and some know how.

very bizarre.

The little bit I heard and read today I immediately thought of how bad this could have been. Especially if in conjunction with another event.

What amazes me is how little coverage this is getting from the media, almost like the have a lid on it.

What amazes me is that as technology progresses, we are open to so many more bizarre threats than we can even imagine.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:

Name the top ten ways to be prepared.
Be specific.

Stored drinking water, 2 gallons per day per person. Ideally 30 days worth, but 14 days would be a good start. Water Bricks or similar stackable smaller volume (5 gallons or less each) to make it more portable. Have a pump and a filter to access it, especially if you use larger drums.

Food storage. Enough for 30 days for each person. Canned tuna, canned chicken, canned vegetables. Oatmeal and other cereals. Some treats like candy bars or cookies. Stay a couple weeks ahead on your grocery shopping except for perishables and it is a good start.

Paper products (tissues, tp), personal products (toothpaste etc), basic first aid and otc medications.

Keep your vehicle gas tanks no lower than 1/2 full.

Alternative cooking methods. Different fuels. Electric and natural gas. Propane for an outdoor grill. A camp stove. Lots of matches and disposable lighters.

Flashlights, battery and solar powered lanterns, candles for light. Backup batteries kept fully charged to recharge your cell phone and other electronics.

That'll get you ready for energy being down.

Then, of course, basic home defense tools.

I have about five times what Fly-Sig recommends.
A computer and cell phone? I survived my first fifty years without one, I can survive without them too!

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:

Stored drinking water, 2 gallons per day per person. Ideally 30 days worth, but 14 days would be a good start. Water Bricks or similar stackable smaller volume (5 gallons or less each) to make it more portable. Have a pump and a filter to access it, especially if you use larger drums.....

I'm on a well and have a generator with multiple containers of gas and diesel so water shouldn't be a problem, for a good while at least. OTOH I just checked and there's only 1/2 fifth of bourbon!

Apparently, these were not the first ones they raided.

"However, law enforcement sources said that similar operations had been uncovered in California and the Midwest in recent weeks.

The sources said that the investigation is ongoing but they appeared to be linked to spam calls, but also could have a more benign purpose like acting as a proxy for international calling cards. "