Executive Travel Security: How to Protect Executives on the Move

An executive’s travel itinerary can be as valuable to cybercriminals and threat actors as a company’s confidential data. As leaders jet between boardrooms, conferences, and high-profile meetings, they face a rising wave of security risks, both digital and physical. From targeted cyberattacks to real-world threats like surveillance, theft, or personal harm, the dangers executives encounter on the move are more sophisticated than ever.

The need for stronger protection isn’t theoretical. It’s happening right now. Following the December 2024 targeted attack of a UnitedHealth executive, a Reuters analysis revealed that US corporations are significantly increasing security expenditures to protect top leaders. For instance, UnitedHealth disclosed $1.7 million in security spending in 2024, marking its first disclosure of such costs. Additionally, security firm Allied Universal reported a 10 to 15-fold increase in demand for executive protection since the incident. And that protection is expanding to more leaders such as board members and VPs.

That’s why executive protection today demands more than a physical security detail or basic cybersecurity. Your organization needs a unified executive protection strategy that bridges digital and physical security into one comprehensive approach, keeping leaders protected no matter where they are.

Why Your Executives Need Travel Security

Today’s executives carry more than a suitcase and laptop when they travel, they also carry risk. Whether they’re attending an international conference, meeting investors in another city, or simply traveling between offices, their movements create an expanding attack surface for threat actors to exploit.

Executives and high-profile individuals face a wide range of evolving threats during travel, including:

• Theft and Loss: From laptops to mobile devices, stolen hardware can quickly lead to stolen credentials and data breaches.
• Surveillance and Espionage: Adversaries increasingly target executives for espionage, tracking their movements and gathering intelligence.
• Social Engineering and Cyberattacks: Public Wi-Fi, phishing emails, and mobile malware create easy entry points for cybercriminals.
• Physical Harm: Travel plans posted publicly—or leaked—can lead to real-world risks like stalking, harassment, or worse.
• Data Breaches: A compromised device or stolen credential can open a direct line into sensitive corporate systems.

These risks are no longer theoretical. Real-world incidents have shown how vulnerable even the most powerful leaders can be. For instance, in recent years, cybercriminals have successfully hacked executive accounts during overseas travel, exposing sensitive company information and creating widespread reputational damage. 

And the threats aren't limited to CEOs. As companies increasingly recognize the value of executive-level data, attackers are broadening their targets to include CFOs, CISOs, board members, and even high-profile department heads such as those in HR and Finance. In this environment, executive travel security is more than a best practice, it’s a business imperative.

Digital Executive Protection During Travel: Best Practices

By this point it’s clear: when executives travel, their digital footprint expands and with it, so do the risks. Public Wi-Fi, shared devices, unfamiliar networks, and social media updates can all create opportunities for threat actors to strike. Protecting executives on the move requires proactive digital hygiene before, during, and after each trip.

Here are the key digital security best practices every traveling executive should follow:

• Use Secure VPNs and Encrypted Communication Tools:
  Executives should avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi without a trusted VPN (Virtual Private Network). Encrypted communication apps should be used for sensitive conversations, even when texting or emailing colleagues.
  
• Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):
  MFA provides an essential extra layer of security for email accounts, collaboration tools, and financial apps. But not all MFA is foolproof and attackers are actively developing methods such as advanced social engineering to bypass it.
  
• Practice Strong Social Media Hygiene:
  Travel updates on LinkedIn, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter) can inadvertently reveal real-time location details. Executives should avoid posting travel plans or event attendance until after they've returned.
  
• Monitor for Digital Threats in Real Time:
  Active monitoring for phishing attempts, account takeovers, and credential leaks is crucial. A digital threat could escalate from a simple email compromise to a full breach of corporate assets if left unchecked.

Securing an executive’s digital presence while traveling takes more than strong passwords and antivirus software. Today, security teams must maintain vigilance at every point of connection and have tools and policies in place that travel with their protectees.

Private Security for Executives: Physical Protection Tactics

Just as executives leave a digital footprint while traveling, they also create physical patterns—where they stay, how they commute, and which events they attend. These movements can be tracked, predicted, and exploited if not properly secured. That’s why executive travel security must include physical protection planning.

Here are key physical security best practices to implement before and during executive travel:

• Conduct Pre-Travel Risk Assessments: Evaluate the executive’s itinerary, destination risks, and public exposure. Risk profiles should include political climate, crime rates, and local regulations, especially for high-profile or international trips. ZeroFox Intelligence offers tactical, strategic intelligence assessments to assist in this crucial information gathering.
• Leverage Geospatial Intelligence: Real-time geographic threat alerts can flag physical security risks near an executive’s hotel, event, or transit route. With ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence (PSI), customers get near real-time alerting on physical threats made in the digital world that pose a risk at or near locations deemed critical.
• Partner with Trained Security Personnel: Depending on the risk level, hiring vetted security professionals for close protection can provide peace of mind and a rapid response layer. Look for agencies with executive-specific expertise, clear protocols, and strong situational awareness training.
• Secure Transportation and Lodging: Avoid rideshares when possible, use vetted transportation providers, and book hotels with proven security standards. Ideally, choose accommodations with private access floors, secure entrances, and established emergency procedures.
• Plan for Emergency Scenarios: Build out protocols for medical issues, natural disasters, protests, or criminal activity. Executives and their teams should know who to contact, where to go, and how to communicate during a crisis.

Effective physical protection doesn’t start when a threat emerges. It starts with preparation. A well-executed physical security strategy can prevent incidents, reduce exposure, and give traveling executives the confidence to focus on the business at hand.

Combining Digital and Physical Executive Security Strategies

Digital threats don’t stay online, and physical threats rarely occur in isolation. Today’s attackers often blur the lines, using leaked travel plans to stage real-world attacks, or using physical theft to gain access to digital credentials. That’s why executive protection can’t afford to be siloed. A successful strategy must integrate digital and physical security into a single, unified approach.

Here’s what an integrated executive protection strategy should include:

• Cross-Channel Monitoring and Threat Correlation: Look for signals across both physical and digital channels—like social media threats tied to upcoming travel, or doxxed PII linked to hotel bookings. Integrating insights helps security teams connect the dots before a threat escalates.
• Shared Situational Awareness Across Teams: Your cybersecurity and physical security teams should operate from the same playbook. Shared dashboards, alert systems, and response protocols help prevent critical gaps in coverage.
• Executive-Specific Risk Scoring: Assess digital and physical risk based on executive role, visibility, and travel exposure. This allows security teams to prioritize who needs the highest level of protection and when they need it.
• Centralized Response Playbooks: Integrate response plans that account for both digital compromise and physical safety. A phishing email revealing travel plans can’t be treated separately from a location-based threat. Remember, attackers won’t treat them separately either.
• Trusted Technology and Intelligence Partners:
  The right technology partner can provide real-time alerts, remove exposed data, and monitor for threats across both domains. (That’s something manual teams alone can’t do at scale.)

The bottom line: today’s executive protection requires convergence. Fragmented tools and siloed teams leave blind spots. And threat actors are counting on them. By aligning digital and physical strategies, organizations can reduce risk, respond faster, and give their executives the protection they truly need.

ZeroFox for Executive Travel Security

Executive protection doesn’t stop at the perimeter and neither does ZeroFox. As executives face growing risks at home and on the road, ZeroFox delivers a unified solution built for travel, tailored for VIPs, and trusted by security teams worldwide.

Here’s how ZeroFox protects executives wherever business takes them:

• Continuous Monitoring Across the Public Attack Surface: From social media chatter to dark web markets, ZeroFox monitors for threats targeting executives, including leaked travel details, impersonations, and exposed credentials.
• Real-Time Physical Threat Alerts with PSI: The ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence (PSI) solution provides near real-time alerts about physical risks near an executive’s current or upcoming location. With mobile capabilities and geovisual threat mapping, teams stay informed on the go.
• Automated Takedown and PII Removal: Stop executive threats before they escalate. ZeroFox detects and removes fraudulent accounts, doxxed personal data, and leaked information from data broker sites, forums, and more.
• AI-Driven Intelligence + Human Expertise: Combine advanced AI threat detection with 24/7/365 support from ZeroFox intelligence analysts who validate, triage, and escalate threats to keep your team one step ahead.
• Travel-Specific Executive Assessments: For high-profile or high-risk trips, ZeroFox provides strategic assessments that evaluate threats across digital and physical dimensions both before departure and throughout the journey.

Whether your executives are preparing for a major event or traveling incognito, ZeroFox equips your team with the intelligence, automation, and visibility needed to stay ahead of the threat curve. Want to learn more about how ZeroFox can protect your leaders? Get a demo now.

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