Executive Targeting Incidents Surge to Record Levels, New Analysis Finds

Physical and cyber threats against senior business leaders double in 2025

February 3, 2026 — A new public facing analysis of executive targeting reveals a sharp escalation in threats against senior corporate leaders, with incident levels reaching their highest point on record in 2025.

The study, Executive Targeting Report: Analysis of Attacks on Corporate Executives from 2003-2025, documents 424 targeted incidents worldwide between 2003 and October 31, 2025, drawing on open source reporting from verified media and public records. As of late 2025, incident volume had already doubled total 2024 levels, marking a 100% year over year increase.

Physical activity accounted for 85% of incidents, including assaults, kidnappings, stalking, and protest related actions. Cyber incidents made up 14%, such as death threats, impersonation, swatting, and account compromise, while hybrid cases continued to emerge at the intersection of online and physical threat behavior. One third of incidents resulted in death or physical injury.

The dataset was originally developed by a Fortune 500 corporate security leader and later expanded through a multi year collaboration involving the Security Executive Council (SEC) and Mercyhurst University’s Business Intelligence & Innovation (BI²) Lab, with analytical support from the Center for Intelligence Research, Analysis, and Training (CIRAT).

Key findings include:

• CEOs remain the most targeted (64%), though attacks against non CEO senior executives are increasing.
• Technology and financial services executives accounted for more than one third of incidents.
• Female executive targeting reached record levels in 2025, despite males remaining the primary targets overall.
• Weapons were present or suspected in 37% of incidents, with firearms involved in 22%.
• Personally motivated attacks, while less frequent, were disproportionately dangerous, with 70% involving armed assailants.

The analysis also highlights rising workplace and residential targeting since 2020 and growing convergence between digital threats and physical approaches.

“Threat actors are no longer focusing on a single executive profile—targeting has broadened across leadership tiers,” said Bob Hayes, SEC Managing Director.

In light of the seriousness of the findings, and guided by a duty of care, the SEC is releasing this information to the public to ensure appropriate awareness and preparedness. The full report can be downloaded from the SEC website.

About the Security Executive Council
The Security Executive Council is the leading research and advisory firm focused on corporate security risk mitigation strategies and plans. We work with security leaders to transform security programs into more capable and valued centers of excellence. Watch our two-minute video for a quick overview or visit us at: www.securityexecutivecouncil.com.

About Mercyhurst University
Mercyhurst University, founded in 1926 by the Sisters of Mercy, is a fully accredited, four-year, Catholic comprehensive institution in Erie, Pennsylvania. The university is home to an estimated 3,000 students and offers more than 85 undergraduate majors with nearly 70 concentrations and pre-professional tracks, as well as 13 graduate programs. Learn more at www.mercyhurst.edu.

Media Contact:
Deborah Baldwin
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dbaldwin@secleader.com