Reported by Kevin Poireault

(Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cell-tower-hacking-gear-seized-nyc/)

The US Secret Service has found and dismantled a network of electronic devices that could be used to shut down the cellular network in New York City.

The equipment, discovered across multiple sites throughout the New York tristate area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), included 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards.

In a statement published on September 23, the Secret Service said the gear had been used to conduct multiple telecommunications-related threats directed towards senior US government officials.

It could be used to disable cell phone towers, enable denial-of-services (DoS) attacks and facilitate anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.

These devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the global meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, which was then about to start in New York City.