September 2025 — Telecom Threats, Executive Concerns, and GSX 2025

There’s a lot going on in the world of physical risk and vulnerability; it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the latest news and developments. We’ll keep you informed with the best content to keep your organization safe and secure. Check out the top news and headlines from the past month.

Massive telecom threat stopped right as world leaders gathered at UN headquarters in New York

From the AP: While close to 150 world leaders prepared to descend on Manhattan for the U.N. General Assembly on Monday, September 22, the U.S. The Secret Service was quietly dismantling a massive hidden telecom network across the New York area. The cache, made up of more than 300 SIM servers packed with over 100,000 SIM cards and clustered within 35 miles of the United Nations, represents one of the most sweeping communications threats uncovered on U.S. soil. Investigators warn the system could have blacked out cellular service in a city that relies on it not only for daily life but for emergency response and counterterrorism.

Our take: The discovery of a SIM farm of this size near the U.N. General Assembly is a stark reminder of how unconventional infrastructure can be weaponized. We tend to think of physical barriers and access control when we discuss event security, but modern threats extend deep into the digital layer. A network of 100,000 active SIMs isn’t just a criminal tool, it’s an attack surface capable of disrupting communications, spreading disinformation, or masking coordinated activity. This underscores the need to blend cyber intelligence with physical protective measures. If your organization is only looking at one side of the risk spectrum, you’re already exposed.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination is forcing politicians to make difficult choices about their safety

From CNN: The killing of Charlie Kirk is forcing political figures and the people who protect them to make difficult choices, balancing whether the public’s access to them is worth the risk. Since Kirk’s assassination, several campaigns or political groups have already called off events out of an abundance of caution. And as the midterm elections approach, candidates will increasingly be forced to weigh their need to connect with constituents and potential voters against the reality of practicing politics at a time of accelerating threats, attempts and slayings.

Our take: While political figures may feel torn between visibility or safety, this is a false choice. In reality, both can be achieved, but only through a proactive, intelligence-driven security posture. Threat assessment, environmental design, and layered protective measures must become standard, not optional. If we continue to rely on outdated assumptions about public access and “business as usual,” we’ll see more tragic headlines. Security doesn’t have to mean isolation, but it does have to mean smarter, data-informed decisions.

Threats of violence against company executives on the rise, survey shows

From Reuters: Two thirds of U.S.-based security chiefs at large technology companies say the threat of violence towards their executives has increased in the past two years, with many now providing protection for senior staff and their families. A survey of 2,352 security chiefs at large and medium-sized companies in 31 countries, conducted by U.S. security and staffing company Allied Universal, found that businesses around the world have faced increasing threats of violence, with the U.S. technology sector the worst affected.

Our take: The rise in threats targeting executives shows just how much leadership has become a focal point for anger, activism, and disruption. Too often, companies respond reactively, waiting for an incident before assessing risk. Executive protection can’t just be about bodyguards or secure travel; it needs to be built on data, threat intelligence, and a clear understanding of both digital and physical vulnerabilities. If your executive team isn’t factoring these risks into their overall security strategy, you’re already behind the curve.

GSX 2025 takes place in New Orleans

From ASIS: GSX 2025,hosted by ASIS International, is being held right now, from Sept. 29-Oct. 1 this year in New Orleans, LA. GSX is the security industry’s biggest and longest-running security trade show, bringing together tens of thousands of professionals from across the security industry.

Our take: Circadian Risk is at GSX this year! Come visit us on the exhibition floor in booth 1975, or come to our panel. On Wednesday, October 1 at 8:30 am our team will present Natural Disaster Preparedness: Integrating Risk Analysis into GSOC Operations. We hope to see you there!

September Top Security Grants

Fiscal Year 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current: Fiscal Year 2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current aims to better align the delivery of FMA flood mitigation funding to the disaster survivor experience. The purpose of FMA Swift Current is to reduce or eliminate the flood risk to NFIP-participating communities and repetitive flood damage to structures and buildings insured by the NFIP following a flood-related disaster event, and to enhance community flood resilience within NFIP-participating communities. It does so by providing funding for mitigation opportunities immediately after a flood disaster event with the aim of delivering mitigation outcomes. Grant closes: Jan 15, 2026

Systems-Based Approaches to Improve Patient Safety by Improving Healthcare Worker Safety and Well-Being: The purpose of this grant is to advance system-level approaches to improve patient safety by improving healthcare worker safety and well-being. Patient safety cannot be fully achieved without healthcare worker safety and well-being. This NOFO will contribute to AHRQs goal of reinvigorating the patient safety movement by adding fresh perspectives and insights of healthcare professionals to efforts to improve patient safety. Grant closes: 2029

About the Author

Daniel Young

Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Daniel has been a security and risk advisor for more than 10 years, and is passionate about helping companies to better understand their risks to undesirable events on a daily basis. Dan previously served as the Regional Bioterrorism Coordinator for District 1 in Michigan, where he was instrumental in preparing communities for catastrophic incidents. He has also acted as the Private Security Liaison for the City of Lansing’s Critical Infrastructure Team, which identified and documented deficiencies in the city’s critical infrastructure.

He is a Co-Founder of the CSO Risk Council, a think tank of seasoned security professionals and thought leaders with extensive experience in managing the physical security and risks of large enterprises consisting of multiple sites and whose mission is to create a better process to develop and share innovative solutions and pertinent information with organizations to improve safety and security risk by providing a forum to discuss best practices and recommendations for specific risk scenarios and to network with other enterprise security professionals.