Addressing Risk on the Horizon with Protective Intelligence

The threat landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years. From managing open-source intelligence (OSINT) and addressing the rise in residential threats due to remote work to navigating geopolitical tensions, economic instability, and various social challenges, the security environment has expanded considerably from what it once was.

When threats evolve, security strategies must follow. As highlighted in a recent Security Info Watch article, “Threats are always evolving and that means physical security strategies need to evolve too.” But change is hard — it requires a shift in mindset, allocation of resources, and alignment across teams. However, relying on outdated tactics to address today’s threats is unlikely to bring successful outcomes.

Tackling the Threats We Can’t See

In today’s intricate risk environment, the sheer volume and diversity of threats can overwhelm organizations, distracting their focus from monitoring future risks. Oftentimes the most dangerous threats are the ones we never saw coming. A recent Circuit Magazine article shared, “You cannot mitigate a risk that you have not anticipated, therefore the most dangerous risk may be the one you did not foresee.”

Embracing protective and threat-based intelligence services is crucial for effectively navigating today’s security landscape. It requires embracing an investigative method, protective intelligence, which aims to prevent acts of violence before they occur. These services encompass a range of proactive measures designed to anticipate, identify, mitigate, or manage potential risks before they materialize into active threats.

This investigative method works. An example of protective intelligence in action occurred last year when the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested a Michigan teenager for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at a synagogue. Investigators discovered messages sent by the teen on social media that praised past mass shooters and spread neo-Nazi ideology, as well as several assault weapons and a Nazi flag in his home.

Protective Intelligence vs. Threat Intelligence

Protective intelligence focuses on safeguarding assets, personnel, and operations by gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information about potential risks and vulnerabilities. It involves a thorough assessment of the organization’s internal and external environments to identify potential threats, whether they stem from physical breaches, workplace violence threats, insider threats, or proximity to potential threats to your organization.

On the other hand, threat-based intelligence delves into threat actors’ tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). It involves monitoring and analyzing information from various sources to understand emerging threats, including the motivations and capabilities of malicious actors. Threat-based intelligence is crucial for developing countermeasures and adapting security strategies to the ever-changing threat landscape.

What Are the Consequences of Status Quo?

Failure to adopt a proactive stance and solely relying on one security system that does not adapt to the current environment puts organizations at risk of being blindsided by emerging threats. Intelligence helps teams take isolated threat information and connect the dots to put together a story around the POI. Technology brings this together with the tools to monitor behavior over time and efficiently share information with those who need it.

Scott Stewart, VP of Threat Intelligence at Torchstone Global shares, “Without an analytical function, it is difficult for countersurveillance operatives to note when the same person or vehicle has been encountered on different shifts, at different sites, or over time. Countersurveillance operations are far less effective without databasing and analyzing what the countersurveillance teams observe over time and distance”

Stewart examines intelligence oversight in his case study on The D.C. Mansion Murders. While the home invasion seemed sudden, it stemmed from a decade-long planning process that traced the path to violence. He shares how various protective intelligence tools can be creatively and proactively used to disrupt potential threat actors, hindering their ability to conduct surveillance and plan attacks.

Implementing a Protective and Threat-Based Intelligence – Where to Start?

Protective and threat-based intelligence facilitates a proactive approach to security, allowing organizations to stay ahead of emerging threats rather than merely reacting to incidents after they occur. However, sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Once the organization is aligned on the approach and understands the risks to not adopting it, technology can help bring this method to life.

Rozin Security offers a proprietary Threat Information Protection System (TIPS®) to gather, analyze and share threat activity. It is a revolutionary targeted violence prevention system designed to serve as a central security and safety reporting, threat assessment, and management platform.

Final Thoughts

Leveraging protective and threat-based intelligence services offers several strategic advantages. It enables informed decision-making by providing actionable insights into potential risks and threats. Executives can allocate resources more effectively, prioritizing areas of vulnerability based on the severity and likelihood of threats.

These intelligence services go beyond enhancing security—they are about safeguarding the organization’s integrity, reputation, and continuity in an increasingly volatile world. In today’s environment, the importance of this capability has not been more important than it is now.

Visit Rozin Technologies to learn more about TIPS.