edition.cnn.com - Swatting investigation server network discovered

The Secret Service, along with NYPD and the NYS Police have discovered an operation apparently capable of chaos far beyond masking swatting calls to potentially disabling cell phone towers, disrupting emergency services and enabling spies, hackers and organized crime.

The new unit traced swatting signals to an apartment just outside New York City. Then they found another rented space. Then, more. No one was inside.

They had found a vast and stunning network of more than 100,000 SIM cards and 300 SIM servers – the largest seizure ever of such devices by the Secret Service – all concentrated within 35 miles of New York City.

The servers could be commanded remotely to create massive amounts of phone traffic in a stealthy and unceasing operation that switched out SIM cards quickly to keep federal law enforcement off its trail.

The hidden electronic maze was so powerful, it could have sent an encrypted and anonymous text to every human being in the United States within 12 minutes, McCool said. It could have overwhelmed cell towers, toppling New York City’s cell service and preventing every Manhattan resident from accessing Google Maps.

The electronic safe houses were found in places including Armonk, New York; Greenwich, Connecticut; Queens, New York; and across the river in New Jersey – essentially forming a circle around New York City’s cellular network infrastructure, officials briefed on the investigation said.

The network has been taken down and is no longer a threat to New York, law enforcement officials said. But “It would be unwise to think that there’s not other networks across the country.”

The Secret Service unit is now working to identify other similar networks.

“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” US Secret Service Director Sean Curran said.
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I wonder how many power, water, transportation and other similar services have already been compromised and are just waiting for a signal to bring them down?

Jeff