Concern about the safety of senior company leaders has surged, with nearly half (46%) of U.S. based chief security officers (CSOs) reporting that the threat of violence toward executives has increased in the last two years, according to a new report from Allied Universal. The threat increases to 49% for publicly traded companies and soars to 66% for technology companies.

The report notes that 64% of U.S. security chiefs say physical security budgets will increase in the next year. The top priority is employee security training and upskilling (46%).

Glen Kucera, president, Allied Universal Enhanced Protection Services, said the uptick of executive threats can be traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic. He cited the dramatic shift in social relationships — working from home and having virtual conversations rather than meeting face-to-face — and world crises, as well as “an incredibly contentious presidential election” as causing a lot of conflict. “The Pope … had his first interview, and one thing he criticized is how much money CEOs are making,” Kucera said, as an example. “All of that causes a lot of anxiety. It causes a lot of threats to high profile people.”

Rachelle Loyear, vice president of integrated security solutions, Allied Universal, agreed, “The upheaval, the economic turmoil driving polarization, the misinformation and disinformation campaigns, which spread like wildfire on social media and digital platforms, are driving more attention in this space. Because the executive layer of any organization is the face, they are the most visible, no matter what.”

More companies in the technology and pharmaceutical sectors than any other are providing senior leaders with executive protection, both at 40% (33% U.S. average) as well as providing executives’ families with protection.

This escalating risk is underscored by global institutional investors, with 97% deeming it important for companies to invest in security for their executives and nearly seven in 10 (68%) saying that the contributions of senior executives represent 30% or more of the value of the companies they invest in.

Misinformation and disinformation are pervasive and can put senior executives at greater risk. Three quarters (75%) of U.S. CSOs say their companies were targeted by a mis/disinformation campaign last year. Technology companies were most affected according to 89%, followed by energy businesses, according to 88% of CSOs.

“In a world of increasing polarization, and when mistruths and untruths can be shared instantaneously, companies and their senior leaders face heightened risks,” said Steve Jones, global chairman and CEO, Allied Universal. “As a CEO, this impacts me personally and professionally. Now more than ever, personal safety is on my mind and the minds of my loved ones. Professionally, I’ve seen an increase in our customers’ concern for the safety of their employees.”

The report finds the financial impact of overall security incidents is substantial. More than a quarter of U.S. CSOs (27%) reported revenue losses following an incident last year, with the average company globally losing at least $9 million. In total, the companies surveyed globally lost close to $1 trillion in revenue due to physical security incidents.

Investors say a physical security incident could impact the value of a publicly traded company on average up to 32%, up 3% compared to 2023. Loyear highlighted this datapoint as a standout for the security industry. “For years, there was this sort of amorphous data out there that said, ‘oh, your stock prices go down if you have an incident.’ This is the first piece of hard data that I’ve seen a very long time that I could point to that said, ‘yes, institutional investors expect a loss after a security incident,’” she said. “It’s important because security has to show the value of itself over and over. We need to make sure that this is aware at high levels of the organization. We need to know that, if we’re talking about adjusting our security program, this may have a further impact.”

Ashley Almanza, executive chairman of G4S, Allied Universal’s international business, added, “The ramifications of a security incident can be considerable and go beyond taking a short-term financial hit. Investors say the impact can be much more damaging and long-lasting, particularly when reputation and shareholder value is concerned. Given how high the stakes are, business leaders are increasingly recognizing that robust physical security is a corporate value driver and should be central to their corporate governance and risk management strategy.”

Additional Key Findings from the Report

Executive Safety

• After technology, the sectors expecting the biggest increases in the threat of violence toward executives are 47% consumer staples, 47% energy, and 46% pharmaceuticals.
• 31% of technology and 30% of pharmaceutical companies are providing executives’ families with protection (two highest U.S. sectors, 24% U.S. average).
• 63% of CSOs at technology companies said misinformation or disinformation influenced more than half of all threat actors targeting their company. The second highest was pharmaceuticals at 50% (44% U.S. average).

Measures Taken to Protect Executives

• 52% of U.S. CSOs have enhanced their security procedures (i.e. enhanced background checks, on site firearms or explosives screening).
• 44% are offering training and preparedness for leaders (i.e. self-defense, situational awareness, de-escalation tactics).
• 44% are carrying out risk assessments for leaders (i.e., pre-event assessments, travel risk management, technical surveillance countermeasures).
• 43% are monitoring online threats (i.e., social media, deep web, dark web).
• 34% are providing leaders with personal protective equipment (e.g., body armor, secure vehicles, emergency escape masks).
• 33% are providing leaders with personal/close security personnel.
• 24% are providing family protection for leaders.

Kucera pointed to the shooting of Brian Robert Thompson, the late CEO of UnitedHealthcare, as a pivotal turning point for executive protection orders. “Before December 4th, there was a very small percentage of Fortune 500 CEOs that had executive protection,” Kucera said. “If you get below the CEO level, the other executive leadership, it was single digits. … As you can probably anticipate, after December 4th, everybody wanted it all the time. We’ve done more [threat] assessments in the first six months [of 2025] than we did in the previous five years.”

Security-Impacting Hazards

• Economic instability is the dominating hazard over the next year, 44% say, up from 33% in 2024.
• 30% say climate change events (e.g., long-term shifts in weather patterns, extreme temperatures), up from 24% in 2024.

External Threats Expected to Increase

• Fraud is expected to increase by 28%, up from 22% in 2024.
• Malicious damage to company property is anticipated by 28%, up from 16% last year.
• Intellectual property theft at 23%, up from 14% last year.
• Industrial espionage at 19%, up from 11% in 2024.

“If a company doesn’t have at least some manner of insider threat program, they should start doing this right away,” Loyear advised. “It can be as simple as keeping an eye on things, ‘see something, say something’ programs — just having an awareness that everybody who you trust and allow in your organization, they have the ability to harm you.”

These are key findings from the 2025 World Security Report commissioned by Allied Universal, a security and facility services provider, and additional interviews conducted by the SDM team. The global report surveyed 2,352 chief security officers, working for medium and large companies globally, in 31 countries, with total annual revenue exceeding $25 trillion. With the U.S. being the largest security market in the world, 620 U.S.-based security chiefs from 10 sectors* participated. The report also incorporates the perspectives of 200 global institutional investors managing over $1 trillion in assets.

*The ten sectors are: consumer discretionary (household durables & apparel, retailing), consumer staples (food, beverage & tobacco, household & personal products), education, energy (energy services, oil & gas), healthcare (medical services, health care equipment & services), industrials (e.g. construction & engineering), technology (software & services, technology hardware & equipment), pharmaceuticals (incl. biotech & life sciences), real estate (equity real estate investment trusts, real estate management), and transportation.