The US Secret Service announced Tuesday they had disrupted an illicit telecom threat near the United Nations.
The illicit network could have blacked out cell service, shut down cell towers, and jammed 911 calls in New York City and the surrounding area.
According to FOX News the seizure is the largest of its kind. The investigation has been ongoing for months by the Secret Service made the announcement this morning before President Trump is scheduled to speak at UN headquarters in New York City. Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office Matt McCool announced that the Secret Service has uncovered and dismantled a large network of fraudulent cellular devices in the New York Tri-State area capable of enabling encrypted communications and threatening local infrastructure.
Special Agent Matt McCool: Hello. My name is Matt McCool, and I’m the Special Agent in charge of the Secret Service, New York Field Office. We are making this announcement as a matter of public interest given timing, amount, and concentration of material recovered during a recent Secret Service protective intelligence investigation.
Following multiple telecommunications related imminent threats directed towards senior US government officials this spring, the US Secret Service began a protective intelligence intelligence investigation to determine the extent and impact these threats could have on protective operations. This was a difficult and complex effort to identify the source of these fraudulent calls and the impact on the Secret Service protective mission. During this period, we leveraged technical assistance and support of federal partners, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
We also received phenomenal support from our state and local law enforcement partners to include the NYPD. The investigation led us to the New York Tri-state area, where investigators discovered tens of thousands of co-located and networked cellular devices capable of carrying out nefarious telecommunications attacks. These devices allowed anonymous encrypted communications between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises, enabling criminal organizations to operate undetected.
This network had the potential to disable cell phone towers and essential eventually shut down the cellular network in New York City. These devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the global meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, now underway in New York City.
Given the timing, location, and proximity and potential for significant disruptions to the New York telecom system, we move quickly to disrupt this network. To be clear, these recovered devices no longer pose a threat to the New York Tri-state area.
We will continue working identifying those responsible in their intent, including whether their plan was to disrupt the UN General Assembly and communications of government and emergency personnel during the official visit of world leaders in and around New York City.
Forensic examinations of the equivalent of 100,000 cell phones worth of data is underway. Early analysis indicates cellular communications between foreign actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement. Given the sensitivity and complexity of this investigation, we are not able to go into specifics at this time. This is an open and active investigation, and we have no arrest to announce today. Rather, this announcement is designed to safeguard critical infrastructure and responsibly provide the public what we can at this time.
The US Secret Service released this video on Tuesday morning.
Share your thoughts by scrolling down to leave a comment.
