100k is the number of active cards. It is being reported that they had 2-3x as many cards in total.
Seems like a nation-state level attack from somebody that has millions to spend to keep this up their sleeve
Seems like a nation-state level attack from somebody that has millions to spend to keep this up their sleeve
It sounds sophisticated, but nation state or cartel or something else big?
What I'm really curious about is the money trail. These cards weren't bought in one off cash purchases or via some penny ante crypto reseller. Someone bought in bulk using real money. They probably had to talk with the salesguy at the MVNO to make an order that large. This kind of thing must leave a footprint.
They're ordering and activating maybe 20-50 at a time, and ordering that number of SIM activation kits from dealer supply houses is extremely normal. Activation typically also is at little to no cost as well to dealers in this market.
FWIW: at sixteen, I somehow managed to get dealer access to a CDMA MVNO. I was able to activate accounts on the fly with $2 of "free" credit to start the user off, with zero cost to me. I still get emails to this day over a decade and a half later from various cellular resellers offering me bulk cellphones...
https://readsludge.com/2025/09/15/democratic-pr-firm-to-run-...