The targeted killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson serves as a stark reminder that all businesses and high-profile individuals can find themselves in a heightened threat environment with little apparent warning. This tragedy has forced companies to re-evaluate the manner in which their security programs protect their executives. In much the same way that companies assess their cybersecurity defenses through regular penetration testing and phishing tests, they must apply similar principles to their physical security programs. Tests which employ social engineering, external consultants hired to act as ‘intruders’, and privacy ‘stress tests’ which identify exposures of personal information, are all prudent steps to take in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a security program. Timothy Gallagher, Nardello & Co. Managing Director and Chief Security Officer, was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on this topic. In summary, Tim states it is important to have a security plan, and to test that plan in ways that are designed to break it. The results of these tests will provide actionable insight into the robustness of existing security measures, and flag weaknesses that may leave staff vulnerable.
Some companies are debating whether to hire mock intruders to attempt to get near an executive, a form of “penetration testing” that can expose vulnerabilities, said Tim Gallagher, chief security officer at investigations firm Nardello. One client asked, for example, that such an intruder try to take a picture of an executive from a close distance. The idea? “Show them: ‘Hey, if this was a bad guy, you’re dead,’” Gallagher said.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/how-security-teams-protect-top-executives-bcf6c45f
