In a shocking revelation last Friday, it was reported that a calculated attempt to disrupt cellular services in New York City was underway, with a particular focus on the vicinity of the United Nations building.
The operation involved an extensive network of "Subscriber Identity Modules", or SIM cards, distributed across several hundred SIM servers.
According to RedState, the gravity of this situation extends beyond mere inconvenience to individual users. The potential for disruption of emergency services, law enforcement, business operations, and navigation is immense.
The situation takes a more sinister turn with the implication of a nation-state actor, with signs pointing towards China.
As was reported on Friday, the disruption of even a localized network, such as that in the New York area, could have far-reaching consequences. The potential for damage extends beyond personal communications to include media, business communications, emergency services, and government services.
Although these SIM farms do not possess the capability to physically damage cellular infrastructure, the implications of such an attack are significant. The timing and location of this operation, in close proximity to the United Nations building during the recent General Assembly, further underscore the severity of the situation.
The situation has since escalated, with further discoveries painting a more alarming picture. ABC News has reported on what they describe as a "China-linked plot that could have crippled every cell tower in the nation's largest city, jammed 911 calls, and unleashed chaos on communications networks." The potential for disruption extends across the New York metropolitan area and possibly beyond.
In a coordinated effort, Secret Service personnel and officers from multiple agencies seized hundreds of servers and over 100,000 cellphone SIM cards from around New York. The equipment seized was capable of sending 30 million anonymous texts every minute, enough to collapse the telecommunications system.
This week, the number of seized SIM cards doubled, with law enforcement sources revealing the discovery of an additional 200,000 SIM cards in New Jersey.
The U.S. Secret Service is still working to determine the motive behind this operation and whether there was a specific target in mind. It remains unclear whether the equipment was intended to be activated during the United Nations General Assembly, which took place in New York in the last full week of September.
While no arrests have been made, forensic examinations are ongoing. There have been indications of cellular communication between foreign actors and individuals known to law enforcement.
If China is indeed implicated, the motive seems clear: to disrupt communications and the flow of information among private individuals, businesses, and the government, across the majority of the nation's largest city. This raises the question of whether there are more of these SIM farms in other cities.
While the Secret Service, leading the investigation, has not officially named China as the "foreign actor," it is difficult to envision another nation in that role. China has the capability and the manpower to execute such an operation. It is known that there are thousands, possibly millions, of Chinese nationals in the country, both legally and illegally.
It is also known that China has exploited the Biden administration's lax border enforcement to send additional Chinese nationals illegally into the United States.
If this operation was indeed executed on American soil, with the involvement of Chinese nationals under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party, it would represent a grave threat to national security. The possibility of more SIM farms in key cities such as Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco could potentially cripple our information and communications infrastructure across much of the country.
The most chilling aspect of this situation is the possibility that such an attack on our information infrastructure could be a precursor to something far more serious. The implications of this situation are far-reaching and demand immediate attention and action.
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