On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, the U.S. Secret Service announced a successful operation to neutralize a vast network of more than 100,000 SIM cards. This sophisticated setup had the potential to cripple New York’s telecommunications network just as the United Nations General Assembly was set to commence. The agency indicated that the threat might be linked to “nation-state” actors.
According to a statement released by the Secret Service, “Beyond facilitating anonymous telephonic threats, these devices were capable of executing a broad spectrum of telecommunications attacks.”
Such attacks could encompass critical actions like disabling cellular towers, orchestrating denial-of-service attacks, and enabling secure, encrypted communications for potential threat actors and criminal organizations.
The high-profile general debate of the U.N. is scheduled to begin in New York on Tuesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump slated to address the summit on its opening day.
The Secret Service confirmed that all seized devices were strategically located within a 35-mile (56-kilometer) radius of the U.N. General Assembly headquarters. “Considering the critical timing, the strategic location, and the severe potential for widespread disruption to New York’s telecommunications, the agency acted decisively to dismantle this network,” the statement emphasized.
While a comprehensive forensic examination of the devices and an extensive investigation are still underway, initial findings suggest “cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals already known to federal law enforcement.”
Images shared by the agency revealed a dense array of SIM cards interconnected with various telecommunications hardware, highlighting the scale of the potential threat.