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Security Lessons from the Murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
Political figures have long been targets of violence, but the recent shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson highlights the need for all high-profile figures to strengthen their security.
Thompson, one of the highest-paid healthcare executives in the US, was shot in the back on December 4 in New York City just before an investor meeting. The attacker fled the scene and was later identified and arrested at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, after an employee spotted him and noticed he resembled the images of the wanted gunman.
Despite the relatively quick capture of the alleged gunman, this incident makes it clear that there are serious security questions that need to be asked. In his report of this incident, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny noted that Thomson did not have a security detail. While many in Mr. Thompson’s position do not feel they need security, the current socio-political environment may change that calculation for a variety of reasons.
A Wake-Up Call for High-Profile Individuals in the US
While many are using the incident to reflect on the state of American healthcare, at its core, the issue is violence, and this is exactly where security protocols come in. Thompson didn’t consider himself a high-profile person, even though he made $10 million annually. He did not walk around with a security detail, because he did not feel threatened.
His attack is likely to change the way corporate executives use security. Unfortunately, we have entered an era where attitudes around the permissiveness of political and ideological violence is on the rise. We are likely to look back on this assassination as a watershed moment.
Many high-profile people shy away from personal security because they feel it will negatively impact their lifestyle. They do not want to live in a fortress, or walk around shadowed by guards, and they want to come and go as they please.
These desires, while certainly understandable, are less realistic today, when guns are readily available and there is so much civil and political dissatisfaction fractalized by the kaleidoscope of our information environment. Brian Thompson has been lauded by his parent company as “one of the good guys,” and his attack shows that higher-ups in companies or practices that are even minutely controversial are potential targets. Fields that affect critical needs like healthcare, housing, energy, and food are that much more at risk.
Additionally, any high-profile person can be a target, such as television and movie stars, musicians, politicians, activists, doctors who perform abortions, people who work in animal slaughterhouses, or anyone involved in something considered controversial.
Social Media Response
The backlash on social media following Thompson’s shooting has been surprising, if not disturbing. Thompson, as the CEO of a major insurance group, was immediately vilified, while the suspected shooter, Luigi Mangione, has been cast as a folk hero, a champion of sorts who took on ugly corporate healthcare to fight the people’s fight.
This narrative was solidified after New York police found three shell casings with the words, “Deny,” “Defend,” and “Depose,” at the scene of the crime, words often used by insurance companies when denying claims. Pennsylvania police also found a note in Maglione’s backpack that expressed “some ill will toward corporate America.”
In the same vein, instead of celebrating the McDonald’s employee who alerted police to a murderer, employees at the McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania are fearful, and the internet has been flooded with negative reviews online, many referencing “rats” at that particular fast food branch.
Unfortunately, Thompson’s murder has become more than an isolated violent crime — it’s become a rallying point for Americans who feel wronged by the healthcare industry. A self-styled “socialist fashion brand” company has created a deck of targeted CEO playing cards.
High-Profile People Need These Types of Security
The time is nigh for potential targets to take their security seriously and implement a combination of an informed security protocol and OSINT, open-source intelligence. The former will offer physical protection at work, home, and while traveling, and it should span not only individuals but entire workplaces. Executives may be the most visible targets for physical attacks, but in some cases, the workplace or office itself may be a target.
OSINT (open-source intelligence), another critical piece of the security puzzle, includes monitoring the web and collecting data from publicly available information with the goal of spotting at preventing potential attacks.
While it is as of yet unclear if Mangione expressed anti-corporate or violent views online, research has shown that there is an “escalating tendency for lone wolf terrorists” to post manifestos or clues online before their attacks — but without OSINT, these clues will go unnoticed.
At Interfor International, we provide wide-ranging security services, from physical security to social media monitoring and threat intelligence. Individual teams work together to provide preventative and real-time security for people in all fields and industries. Often times, a comprehensive threat assessment is the first strong step to take.
Unfortunately, these services can no longer be perceived as a luxury for executives, politicians, celebrities, and others working in a controversial field, or an expense that is shunted aside because it does not contribute to ROI — these services are a necessity in an ever-increasingly uncertain world.