The information we share online—knowingly or unknowingly—can be a goldmine for bad actors looking to exploit vulnerabilities. From leaked personal details to real-time location data, digital exposure can quickly translate into physical threats, making it crucial for organizations to assess and mitigate these risks proactively. That’s why a well-rounded personal and corporate security protocol must go beyond just physical protection for executives and employees. As cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated and common, organizations are turning to Digital Threat Assessments (DTA) to safeguard their company and people from data breaches and targeted attacks.
A DTA is a comprehensive evaluation of an individual or organization’s online footprint, vulnerabilities, and potential threats. It analyzes open-source intelligence, social media activity and exposed personal identifiable information (PII) to temper risks before they escalate into security incidents.
Why Should a Digital Threat Assessment be Part of an Organization’s Security?
A person or company’s digital footprint extends beyond what is actively shared online. Information about people and organizations—such as addresses, emails, phone numbers, financial data, and even passwords—can be found across the web. A simple Google search can turn up employees’ home addresses, while the capabilities of the deep web are far more expansive. A DTA analyzes what personal data is exposed and provides recommendations on how to secure or remove it. DTAs use advanced threat intelligence tools to also monitor for mentions of names or businesses in conjunction with threat-related language across social media platforms, online forums, and chan boards for a duration of time during the assessment process. This assists in evaluating the potential threat landscape.
A DTA can identify fake or imposter accounts designed to discredit individuals or organizations. These fraudulent accounts can be used to spread misinformation, damage reputations or direct unwanted attention toward a target. Threat actors—including cybercriminals, extremist groups, and nation-state adversaries—often exploit publicly available information to conduct spear-phishing attacks, impersonation schemes, doxing, and social engineering scams. A DTA identifies potential vulnerabilities that these actors might exploit and helps mitigate those risks.
Lastly, a DTA examines social media activity—including that of employees’ close friends and family—to identify risks related to patterns of life, location tracking, and personal details that could be leveraged by bad actors.
How a Digital Threat Assessment Works
As part of a company’s risk, threat and vulnerability assessment methodologies, a comprehensive security evaluation will analyze an individual’s’ online presence. Analysts will conduct:
- Threat Intelligence Collection – This involves aggregating data from open-source intelligence tools, social media platforms, online forums and news databases.
- Personal Identifiable Information (PII) Exposure Review – This step identifies sensitive data that is publicly available and recommends mitigation strategies.
- Cyber Threat Identification – This tool detects potential phishing, impersonation and social engineering risks.
- Geolocation & Web Scraping Analysis – This includes examining photos, videos, and metadata that could expose a person’s location or movements.
- Risk Level Assessment & Recommendations – This stage provides actionable insights to secure personal and organizational data.
The First Step in Protection: Why Digital Threat Assessments are Critical
With cyber threats, data breaches, online attacks and real-world security concerns on the rise, a Digital Threat Assessment is not simply a precaution—it’s a necessity. Whether you’re an executive, high-net-worth individual or organization looking to safeguard your assets, understanding your digital exposure is the first step to protecting yourself from evolving threats.
Interested in learning more? Contact Sikich today to schedule your Digital Threat Assessment.
This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.
