Geospatial Intelligence for Executive Protection

Safeguarding business executives and VIPs has become top-of-mind across industries. Over 2,200 threats against executives were identified in just five weeks over the winter of 2024/2025, and 9 out of 10 business leaders report increasing physical security threats. Executives also face rising risks from AI-driven disinformation, deepfake attacks, and online harassment.  

The convergence of digital and physical threats creates a complex security environment that leaves traditional protection approaches coming up short. Online activity is now a common precursor to real-world dangers and, with 75% of executives' credentials currently exposed on deep and dark web markets, the risks are harder to contain.

The challenge is intensified when your executives are out and about, whether attending local events or on the other side of the world. Unique vulnerabilities during executive travel include:

• Exposure to different threat landscapes
• Limited familiarity with local environments
• Challenges of maintaining situational awareness in foreign locations
• Coordination difficulties with local security resources

Added to this is the fact that legacy security approaches aren’t built to connect digital and physical threats to support protection operations. With millions of pieces of content created every minute across thousands of platforms, tracking the digital footprints that can lead to physical incidents can seem to be an impossible task. However, there are effective solutions. One valuable tool to leverage is geospatial security.

Keep reading to discover how threat geovisualization enhances situational awareness with proactive risk management, real-time threat alerts, and improved resource allocation that transform the way security teams monitor, identify, and respond to location-based threats.

Understanding Geospatial Security in Executive Protection

Geospatial security combines location-based data with comprehensive threat intelligence to provide actionable insights into emerging risks. By leveraging advanced technologies and human expertise, security teams can visualize threats geographically and understand their potential impact on executives, protected facilities, and assets.

This threat geovisualization capability is indispensable as Kenny Clessas, Director of Services and Analysis at ZeroFox, notes “The attack surface of the executive continues to grow.” 

“It's not just their corporate place of office,” he says. 

“It's their home, vacation property, events they're attending, and the planes they're traveling on.”

Primary Components of Geospatial Security

To be effective, the best geospatial security for executive protection must integrate several key components:

• Real-time data integration: Consolidating intelligence from surface, deep, and dark web sources to identify potential threats early
• Location correlation: Mapping potential risks in relation to executive locations, homes, offices, and travel destinations
• Advanced threat geovisualization: Displaying threats on interactive maps for quick assessment and decision-making
• AI-powered analysis: Using artificial intelligence to process millions of data points across thousands of platforms
• Human intelligence oversight: Having expert analysts verify and contextualize alerts to eliminate false positives
• Granular filtering and analysis tools: Filtering by incident type, keyword, location, and time period to drown out the noise, allowing analysts to review only the alerts important to them

The more data you can gather and analyze, the better informed your security strategy will be. 

“We collect petabytes of threat data across the surface, deep, and dark web for unparalleled cyber and physical threat visibility,” explains Ben Snowdon, Director of Digital Risk Protection at ZeroFox. “This allows us to help protect more than 46,000 locations annually in 152+ countries.”

Key Applications in Executive Protection

Geospatial intelligence serves multiple vital functions in a comprehensive executive protection program by enabling:

• Real-time threat monitoring: Identifying and alerting on emerging physical security risks near executive locations
• Pre-travel risk assessments: Evaluating potential threats at planned destinations before executive travel
• Crisis response support: Providing situational awareness during emergencies
• Travel risk management: Monitoring for disruptions or threats during executive movement
• Location security planning: Supporting advance work for facilities and event venues

The value of geospatial security lies in its ability to integrate digital signals with physical security operations, creating a unified view of the threats surrounding protected individuals.

Geospatial Security in Action: Executive Travel Safety

Executive travel presents a host of dynamic geospatial security challenges. Unfamiliar environments, limited local knowledge, and increased exposure all contribute to elevating risk levels. “For executives that travel frequently, their threat profile changes significantly,” notes Kenny Clessas. “Many of the teams we work with are increasingly concerned about the impact of geopolitical issues in the different places they are potentially traveling to for events,” he says. 

Here’s how geospatial security provides the tools and insights needed to navigate these challenges safely:

Pre-travel Risk Assessment

Before an executive departs, security teams must understand the destination's specific risks. This preparation starts with geospatial intelligence.

Using geospatial technology, security teams can:

• Conduct thorough location-based threat analysis to identify potential dangers
• Map safe zones and medical facilities near planned locations
• Identify recent incidents around hotels, meeting venues, and transportation routes
• Assess local political stability and public safety concerns
• Coordinate with local security resources before arrival

This advance work is critical for minimizing surprises and ensuring appropriate security measures are in place before the executive arrives.

In-transit Monitoring and Alerts

Once an executive is on the move, real-time geospatial monitoring becomes critical. To support this, modern geospatial security solutions provide:

• Location-based alerts for emerging threats near the executive
• Push notifications to mobile devices about nearby incidents
• Continuous monitoring of transportation routes and venues
• Geofencing capabilities that trigger notifications when protected individuals enter higher-risk areas

For example, ZeroFox's Physical Security Intelligence (PSI) mobile application includes a Scout Mode feature that follows protected executives during travel and delivers immediate alerts based on their changing location. This capability ensures security teams maintain situational awareness even when executives are in transit.

Local Security Enhancement

Geospatial intelligence also improves coordination with onsite security resources by providing:

• Localized geopolitical intelligence about the destination
• Evacuation routes
• Identification of nearby police stations and emergency services
• Monitoring of local disruptions and civil unrest

ZeroFox's Approach to Geospatial Security

ZeroFox's Physical Security Intelligence (PSI) solution transforms how organizations monitor and respond to physical threats targeting their most valuable assets, including executives.

Advanced Physical Security Intelligence Capabilities

ZeroFox PSI combines the power of artificial intelligence with human expertise to deliver comprehensive geospatial security:

• AI-driven analysis processes millions of data points across thousands of platforms
• 24/7/365 monitoring with human expert verification ensures accuracy
• Protection for over 46,000 locations annually in more than 152 countries
• More than 180,000 physical security alerts vetted and issued yearly

This approach allows security teams to maintain visibility into global threats that would otherwise be impossible to track manually.

Key Features of ZeroFox's Geospatial Security Solution

ZeroFox's geospatial intelligence features help security teams spot threats to critical assets, identify patterns of activity, rapidly notify stakeholders, and take action faster when every minute matters. They include:

• Advanced threat geovisualization: Interactive maps that show global physical security incidents near protected assets
• Granular filtering tools: Search by incident type, keyword, location, and time period
• Historical and current threat intelligence: Research for location-based risk assessment
• Geopolitical intelligence: Analyst-enriched insights into activities affecting selected locations
• Automated alert translation: Support for more than 100 languages

Integration with Comprehensive Executive Protection

As Mike Vincent, Director of Product Marketing at ZeroFox, explains, the progression from online to real-world harm is becoming stronger.

“A lot of the rules have changed,” he says. 

“What that means for an executive or VIP is that they're going to be subject to impersonations on a very regular basis, doxing, harassment, and ultimately leading to, in some cases, threats of physical harm.” 

That’s why ZeroFox's geospatial intelligence solution serves as just one part of a unified approach to executive protection that addresses both physical and digital threats and delivers: 

• Digital protection against impersonations and account takeovers
• PII monitoring and removal from data broker sites
• Dark web surveillance for leaked credentials and attack planning
• Real-time physical threat alerts for protected individuals

The platform connects these capabilities, providing a complete view of the dangers encountered by executives and enabling coordinated responses across security teams.

Strengthened Protection Through Geospatial Intelligence

Geospatial security transforms executive protection by shifting from a legacy reactive approach to a proactive posture that can cope with the nature of modern risks. This approach offers several key benefits:

• Early warning of potential threats before they escalate into security incidents
• Better situational awareness across global operations and travel
• Integration of digital and physical threat monitoring for comprehensive protection
• More efficient resource allocation based on real-time risk assessment
• Enhanced travel security for executives and their families

In a nutshell, by visualizing threats geographically and monitoring for location-based risks in the moment, security teams can identify patterns, anticipate problems, and take preventive action before incidents occur.

For organizations looking to strengthen executive protection, ZeroFox offers a comprehensive solution that bridges the gap between digital and physical security. The platform combines advanced geospatial intelligence with threat monitoring, takedown capabilities, and expert analysis to safeguard executives wherever they go.

To learn more about ZeroFox's geospatial security capabilities for executive protection or schedule a demo.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes geospatial intelligence critical for executive protection?
Geospatial intelligence provides substantial context about location-based threats that might affect executives. By visualizing risks geographically, security teams can identify patterns, anticipate problems, and take preventive action before incidents occur. This proactive approach is essential for protecting executives who face increasing digital and physical threats in today's complex security environment.

How does ZeroFox handle language differences in global threat monitoring?
ZeroFox's Physical Security Intelligence solution includes automated alert translation into more than 100 languages. This capability ensures that security teams can understand and respond to threats worldwide, regardless of the original language. Additionally, ZeroFox's global team of analysts speak over 27 languages, providing human verification and context for alerts in multiple languages.

What types of physical threats can be identified through geospatial intelligence?Geospatial intelligence can identify various physical threats, including public safety incidents (such as shootings or bomb threats), civil unrest (protests or riots), natural disasters, transportation disruptions, and targeted threats against executives or facilities. The technology correlates these threats with executive locations, providing real-time awareness of potential risks.

How does ZeroFox protect executive privacy while monitoring location-based threats?
ZeroFox follows strict privacy protocols when monitoring for location-based threats. Additionally, ZeroFox's PII Removal service helps protect executive privacy by automatically detecting and removing personal information from data broker sites and Google searches, reducing their digital footprint.

Can geospatial intelligence integrate with existing security operations?
Yes, ZeroFox's geospatial intelligence solution complements existing security operations. The platform includes the Physical Security Intelligence (PSI) mobile application with Scout Mode that follows protected executives during travel and delivers instant push notifications based on their changing location. Security teams can also access and share findings and research from the global map interface, helping coordinate responses across different security functions. This approach ensures location-based threat intelligence reaches security personnel when it matters most, enhancing overall protection for executives whether they're in the office, at home, or traveling.