Following the live webinar “Optimizing Executive Protection: What 3 Years of Data Reveals About Threats to VIPs,” hosted by Ontic and TorchStone Global on September 24, Ontic published this write-up of the findings. The session featured two TorchStone Global analysts, who walked through how threats to executives, high-net-worth individuals, and public figures are evolving, from…
By TorchStone SVP of Protective Intelligence Scott Stewart
Over the past few years, I’ve been carefully observing as Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have become rapidly embraced in the security and protective intelligence realm. Despite the amount of “AI slop” I see daily in my LinkedIn feed, I consider this embrace of AI a good thing.…
By TorchStone SVP of Protective Intelligence Scott Stewart
On October 19, 2026, my friend Chuck Randolph , the Chief Strategy Officer at 360 Privacy, wrote an interesting article that was published by SC Media discussing how AI tools are compressing the attack cycle . In the article, Chuck pointed out how AI…
The Game Has Changed: Tracking the Evolution of Sports Betting Threats
By TorchStone Intelligence Analyst Jack Jenkins
When TorchStone first examined the security implications of legalized sports gambling and methodologies within protective intelligence to address threats related to the topic in 2024, the primary concern outlined was straightforward: a bettor loses money, develops a grievance against an…
TorchStone's protective intelligence draws on proven analytical frameworks for understanding and assessing threats, including one developed by our very own Senior Vice President of Protective Intelligence, Scott Stewart: the Social Media Threat Continuum. This model was built to help better understand and contextualize the threats emanating from social media-fueled leaderless resistance movements.
The continuum starts with…
TorchStone Global uses the Social Media Threat Continuum model to monitor threats and, in many cases, end them online by reporting them to social media platforms for removal. TorchStone constantly monitors, reports and documents posts ranging from harassment to direct threats of violence. TorchStone uses automated tools to collect and filter millions of signals every…
TorchStone has tracked Persons of Interest (POIs) and analyzed threats involving individuals who have traveled vast distances to confront or attack high-profile targets. These incidents underscore the importance of a robust protective intelligence program capable of tracking threat actor movement and providing timely alerts regarding changes in proximity to a protected individual. Numerous recent examples…
The TorchStone Executive Protection Report tracked 13 domestic and 16 international security incidents or updates to prior incidents impacting high-profile individuals during the month of March 2026. TorchStone Global believes that broader situational awareness and intelligence are key to providing quality executive protection—whether the principal is a Fortune 500 CEO, international celebrity, or local city…
The TorchStone Executive Protection Report tracked 15 domestic and 15 international security incidents or updates to prior incidents impacting high-profile individuals during the month of February 2026. TorchStone Global believes that broader situational awareness and intelligence are key to providing quality executive protection—whether the principal is a Fortune 500 CEO, international celebrity, or local city…
In 2025, TorchStone recorded 476 incidents targeting high-profile individuals in a marginal 3% increase over the 462 recorded incidents in 2024.
The TorchStone Executive Protection Report tracked 11 domestic and 6 international security incidents or updates to prior incidents impacting high-profile individuals during the month of January 2026. TorchStone Global believes that broader situational awareness and intelligence are key to providing quality executive protection—whether the principal is a Fortune 500 CEO, international celebrity, or local city…
As IRL livestreaming increasingly brings audiences into real-world settings, real-time visibility is collapsing the barrier between online engagement and physical access. Recent incidents demonstrate how live exposure can accelerate harassment, stalking, and targeted violence, underscoring the growing need for threat awareness and protective intelligence for publicly visible creators.
