The discovery of a vast telecommunications network that authorities say was capable of wiping out cellular communications in the nation's largest city is just the latest in a steady series of high-profile plots targeting critical infrastructure.
With the right amount of resources, bad actors can shut down anything from hospitals to gas pipelines, said Kevin Butler, director of the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research.
"What we're really seeing is how cyberattacks can be targeting various aspects of critical infrastructure and in very meaningful ways," Butler said. "Even things like our water infrastructure or the electric grid."
Investigators found more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards in the New York tri-state area. The Secret Service said it moved quickly to dismantle the network given its proximity to a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.
The devices allowed for anonymous, encrypted communication, which enabled criminal organizations to operate undetected, according to Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in New York. McCool said the network could have been used to disable cell phone towers, disrupt emergency communications and shut down the city's cellular networks.
