spying

US uncovers 100,000 SIM cards that could have “shut down” NYC cell network

NYC, Secret Service, Security, sim cards, spying, UN / Shannon Garcia / September 23, 2025

The US Secret Service announced this morning that it has located and seized a cache of telecom devices large enough to “shut down the cellular network in New York City.” And it believes a nation-state is responsible.

According to the agency, “more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards” were discovered at multiple locations within the New York City area. Photos of the seized gear show what appear to be “SIM boxes” bristling with antennas and stuffed with SIM cards, then stacked on six-shelf racks. (SIM boxes are often used for fraud.) One photo even shows neatly stacked towers of punched-out SIM card packaging, suggesting that whoever put the system together invested some quality time in just getting the whole thing set up.

The gear was identified as part of a Secret Service investigation into “anonymous telephonic threats” made against several high-ranking US government officials, but the setup seems designed for something larger than just making a few threats. The Secret Service believes that the system could have been capable of activities like “disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial of services attacks and facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.”

So many empty SIM card packages… Secret Service

Analysis of data from so many devices will take time, but preliminary investigation already suggests that “nation-state threat actors” were involved; that is, this is probably some country’s spy hardware. With the UN General Assembly taking place this week in New York, it is possible that the system was designed to spy on or disrupt delegates, but the gear was found in various places up to 35 miles from the UN. BBC reporting suggests that the equipment was “seized from SIM farms at abandoned apartment buildings across more than five sites,” and the ultimate goal remains unclear.

While the gear has been taken offline, no arrests have yet been made, and the investigation continues.

US uncovers 100,000 SIM cards that could have “shut down” NYC cell network Read More »

Spy-catcher saw “stupid” tech errors others made. FBI says he then made his own.

2) EMAIL ADDRESS FAIL: The FBI quickly gained access to the “anonymous” email account used to send the message. They found that, on the day that this account was set up, it received a message from a second email account—possibly as a test—which turned out to be one of Laatsch’s and contained his name as part of the email address.

3) EMAIL ACCOUNT FAIL: This second email account, when the FBI examined it, had been set up using Laatsch’s full name, date of birth, and phone number.

4) IP ADDRESS FAIL: Both the first and second email account had been logged into from the same IP address, suggesting they were controlled by the same person. And the IP address that was used for them both resolved to… Laatsch’s residence.

The leaker did suggest moving the conversation to an encrypted messaging platform, but the damage was already done.

The FBI immediately began a sting operation, posing as the “friendly country,” asking Laatsch to copy some juicy data and provide it in a “dead drop” at a park in northern Virginia. Laatsch allegedly then went in to work at DIA, using his deep knowledge of DIA computerized tracking systems to avoid detection by… copying secret documents into notebooks by hand, then ripping out the sheets of paper and stuffing them in his socks.

This appears to have worked well enough—except for the fact that internal DIA “video monitoring” was watching him do it, with FBI agents noting even the ways Laatsch tried to “hide his notebook” when co-workers walked by. Whether Laatsch was aware of this video monitoring system is unclear.

On May 1, 2025, Laatsch allegedly wrote up his notes, stored them on a thumb drive, and dropped them as requested at an Alexandria park. The drive was later retrieved by the FBI. On May 8, Laatsch told his contact that he wasn’t seeking money but “citizenship for your country” because he didn’t “expect things here to improve in the long term, even in the event there is a change in the future.”

Laatsch was arrested yesterday, May 29.