The Ever-Evolving Terrorist Threat
Secret Service foils a ‘telecom threat’ in New York City.
by James H. McGee
September 23, 2025, 10:10 PM
Early this morning, my good friend Luther Ray Abel, formerly of our American Spectator parish, called my attention to a breaking news story involving a “telecom threat” taken down by the Secret Service, one capable of “crippling” New York City cell service. Digging deeper, it became clear that the threat was much more than simply another in the sadly too common denial-of-service cyberattacks.
Instead, this was something huge. The threat system consisted of more than 300 SIM servers and more than 100,000 SIM cards spread within a 35-mile radius of New York City. The Secret Service indicated that the devices could carry out anonymous telephone threats and disable cell towers, while facilitating encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises. The initial coverage focused on the threat to New York City, and this is certainly significant in its own right. After all, the repercussions of a massive telecommunications attack on New York City would reverberate nationally, even globally. Still, we might reasonably wonder if other cities have been similarly targeted — Washington, D.C., for example.
The technical expertise demonstrated by this threat would likely be far beyond the capability of ordinary criminals…
Tellingly, the Secret Service also stated that, “while forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement.” Of all the disturbing aspects of this emerging story, this may be the most disturbing. The technical expertise demonstrated by this threat would likely be far beyond the capability of ordinary criminals, and if it proves that a hostile foreign power is behind this, then that foreign power is very hostile indeed. When this power is identified, the American people need to know — there can be no hiding behind diplomatic niceties or fear of provocation. (RELATED: How To Beat China in the Great Power Competition)
https://spectator.org/the-ever-evolving-terrorist-threat/
