Background
In a world where risks can appear without warning, waiting for threats to materialize is no longer an option. Organizations must invest in proactive threat/intelligence monitoring, including skilled analysts and software, to anticipate risks, respond swiftly, and protect their people, assets, and reputation before the unthinkable happens.
Some organizations manage threat monitoring internally, while others combine in-house operations and external partners. Either way, obtaining timely and actionable intelligence on physical security concerns, cyber threats, and geopolitical shifts is vital. Early warning intelligence means operations can take proactive, resilient action instead of scrambling to react when a threat occurs.
Threat monitoring goes beyond knowing what’s happening; it’s also about seeing what’s coming. But intelligence is only part of the equation. The true force multiplier? Collaborative partnerships with law enforcement. When public and private sectors work in sync—sharing information, aligning protocols, and coordinating responses—security efforts become more precise, agile, and ultimately successful.
Situation
We identified a direct threat to one of our clients’ employees on social media. The person making the threat detailed how they wanted to hurt and kill the employee. The threat was serious.
Solution
We immediately shared information about the threat with our client and used every resource to research the person who’d made the threat. Within a few hours, we identified the person who’d posted the threat.
Working with Authorities
We promptly shared this information with the local police department. The department requested our support in having the chat forum website removed. The police attempted to establish contact with the website’s legal department but did not receive a response.
We discovered that the contact info (emails and phone numbers) listed on the website were not actually associated with the site. Using analytical tools, we found the significantly larger and well-known website that operated the site where the threat was posted.
This crucial information enabled law enforcement to contact the owner of the latter website.
Supporting a Subpoena
When law enforcement contacted representatives of the website, those representatives insisted on a subpoena to remove the forum. To obtain the subpoena, law enforcement needed key information they didn’t have, including:
- Who was the threat against?
- Who posted the threat?
- What did the threat say?
- When was the threat made?
- When was the threat discovered?
Much of that information, such as the date and time of the threat’s revelation, was not publicly disclosed on the website. Because the information needed to prepare the subpoena was not readily available, law enforcement authorities relied on our team and our monitoring system for answers. Our analysts found the information law enforcement needed to issue the subpoena.
The threat was removed, and the individual who made the threat was apprehended.
Conclusion
This example underscores how important it is to proactively monitor social media and other channels for threats and other activities that can affect an organization and its employees. It also demonstrates the value of the collaborative partnership between law enforcement and the private sector.
Our experience shows that it is crucial to ensure that all parties involved support each other throughout the investigation process. In this case, we identified the individual responsible for a substantial threat and provided the critical information that law enforcement needed to act. This collaboration eliminated the danger, and the individual making the threat was arrested.
Please contact us to discuss how social media monitoring can enhance your security and risk management program and help ensure the safety of your employees, your organization, and your operations.
