[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":329},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Fblog\u002Fexecutive-operational-security-opsec-part-one-setting-the-foundation":3,"blog-all-posts":254},{"_path":4,"_dir":5,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":8,"description":9,"cardTitle":10,"titleLines":11,"descriptionLines":15,"bodyLeadTitle":18,"publishedAt":19,"updatedAt":20,"tags":21,"coverImage":25,"coverAlt":26,"heroLayout":27,"heroTitleSize":28,"featured":6,"draft":6,"body":29,"_type":248,"_id":249,"_source":250,"_file":251,"_stem":252,"_extension":253},"\u002Fblog\u002Fexecutive-operational-security-opsec-part-one-setting-the-foundation","blog",false,"","Executive Operational Security Part One: Setting the Foundation","Executive OPSEC protects senior leaders, privileged access, sensitive information, communications, travel, and personal activity from targeted threats.","Executive Operational Security Part One",[12,13,14],"Executive Operational","Security Part One:","Setting the Foundation",[16,17],"Executive OPSEC protects senior leaders","from targeted threats.","Protecting Leaders from Cyber Threats","2026-06-10","2026-06-17",[22,23,24],"executive security","OPSEC","risk management","\u002Fblog\u002Fexecutive-operational-security-opsec-part-one-setting-the-foundation\u002Fcover.jpg","Executive reviewing his phone beside a laptop in a private office","overlay","compact",{"type":30,"children":31,"toc":241},"root",[32,40,53,65,70,77,82,87,104,116,121,133,139,158,164,169,174,182,194,211,221,226,231],{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":35,"children":36},"element","p",{},[37],{"type":38,"value":39},"text","Executive Operational Security (OPSEC) is a cybersecurity and risk management discipline focused on protecting executives: C-level leaders, vice presidents, and directors from threats targeting their authority, access, and influence.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":41,"children":42},{},[43,45,51],{"type":38,"value":44},"It utilizes both a ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":47,"children":48},"strong",{},[49],{"type":38,"value":50},"technical and procedural methodology",{"type":38,"value":52}," to identify and protect sensitive information, privileged accounts, digital assets, communications, travel, and personal activities that could be exploited to compromise the individual or the organization.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":54,"children":55},{},[56,58,63],{"type":38,"value":57},"Executive OPSEC extends beyond traditional cybersecurity because ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":59,"children":60},{},[61],{"type":38,"value":62},"executives represent high-value targets.",{"type":38,"value":64}," Attackers often focus on executives to gain privileged access, conduct fraud, steal intellectual property, influence business decisions, or damage an organization's reputation.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":66,"children":67},{},[68],{"type":38,"value":69},"Executives often possess significantly more access than their day-to-day responsibilities require - with a low security posture, making them attractive targets.",{"type":33,"tag":71,"props":72,"children":74},"h2",{"id":73},"controlling-your-own-destiny",[75],{"type":38,"value":76},"Controlling Your Own Destiny",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":78,"children":79},{},[80],{"type":38,"value":81},"Cybersecurity is hard, executives are busy, cybersecurity is an afterthought.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":83,"children":84},{},[85],{"type":38,"value":86},"This combination has contributed to many successful compromises of organizations.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":88,"children":89},{},[90,92,97,99],{"type":38,"value":91},"It’s easy for professionals to ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":93,"children":94},{},[95],{"type":38,"value":96},"offload their security to technology without thinking.",{"type":38,"value":98}," The threats against businesses are escalating to such a degree that ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":100,"children":101},{},[102],{"type":38,"value":103},"this laissez faire attitude no longer works.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":105,"children":106},{},[107,109,114],{"type":38,"value":108},"Executives need to control their own destiny by taking command of their operational security. Leaders need to ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":110,"children":111},{},[112],{"type":38,"value":113},"view their day-to-day routines, communications, and digital footprints through the eyes of an attacker",{"type":38,"value":115}," to prevent seemingly harmless actions from causing catastrophic data breaches.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":117,"children":118},{},[119],{"type":38,"value":120},"No one cares more about your security than you do.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":122,"children":123},{},[124,126,131],{"type":38,"value":125},"Cybersecurity is ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":127,"children":128},{},[129],{"type":38,"value":130},"not a necessary evil but an integral mindset",{"type":38,"value":132}," that should permeate everything an executive does.",{"type":33,"tag":71,"props":134,"children":136},{"id":135},"critical-asset-identification",[137],{"type":38,"value":138},"Critical Asset Identification",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":140,"children":141},{},[142,144,149,151,156],{"type":38,"value":143},"The best way to start is to identify the critical assets that exist in a company that an executive may be associated with. These are the \"Crown Jewels\" and could be in the form of ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":145,"children":146},{},[147],{"type":38,"value":148},"intellectual property, M&A details, financial data, account credentials, executive travel itineraries",{"type":38,"value":150}," - the information most valuable to competitors, cybercriminals, nation-state actors, or insider threats. When these are identified the next step is to rank the criticality of the assets: ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":152,"children":153},{},[154],{"type":38,"value":155},"\"If I were the attacker, what would I target first?\"",{"type":38,"value":157}," It is then possible to design the security posture outward from the most important resources.",{"type":33,"tag":71,"props":159,"children":161},{"id":160},"rule-of-least-privilege",[162],{"type":38,"value":163},"Rule of Least Privilege",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":165,"children":166},{},[167],{"type":38,"value":168},"Once the critical assets are identified the next step is to determine whether the executive genuinely requires access to those assets by asking the question:",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":170,"children":171},{},[172],{"type":38,"value":173},"Does the executive have a legitimate business need to know?",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":175,"children":176},{},[177],{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":178,"children":179},{},[180],{"type":38,"value":181},"The most realistic conclusion is often \"no\".",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":183,"children":184},{},[185,187,192],{"type":38,"value":186},"A useful example illustrates this principle. An Executive Vice President who had little knowledge of technology demanded to be a Domain Admin in the company’s Windows Domain. This is the ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":188,"children":189},{},[190],{"type":38,"value":191},"highest level of access",{"type":38,"value":193}," within the most critical area of the company.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":195,"children":196},{},[197,199,204,206],{"type":38,"value":198},"The IT Director who was in charge of the security for the company, ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":200,"children":201},{},[202],{"type":38,"value":203},"wisely created a folder named “Domain Admins” in a restricted user OU (far below domain admin)",{"type":38,"value":205}," - and placed the Executive Vice President’s account in there. ",{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":207,"children":208},{},[209],{"type":38,"value":210},"Disaster averted.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":212,"children":213},{},[214,219],{"type":33,"tag":46,"props":215,"children":216},{},[217],{"type":38,"value":218},"This anecdote illustrates the fact that the higher you are - the lower the access you should have to an organization’s technology stack.",{"type":38,"value":220}," Executive accounts should be among the most heavily protected accounts in the enterprise. Executives should have the “Least Privilege” to critical systems.",{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":222,"children":223},{},[224],{"type":38,"value":225},"The Principle is to restrict access to highly sensitive strategic operations to only the personnel strictly required to execute them.",{"type":33,"tag":71,"props":227,"children":229},{"id":228},"setting-the-foundation",[230],{"type":38,"value":14},{"type":33,"tag":34,"props":232,"children":233},{},[234,236],{"type":38,"value":235},"These initial steps: controlling your destiny, identifying your assets, applying least privilege set executive operational security on a solid foundation that can be built upon. 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