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…

A recently disrupted terror plot in California highlights a recurring reality in modern threat environments: attackers may be aspirational rather than operational, but they still pose real risks. This case underscores how amateur extremist cells can learn from failed attempts, refine tradecraft, and escalate over time—making early detection of pre-operational behaviors, especially surveillance, a critical…