High Net Worth Security Services: Scaling Up Protection

High net worth security services have to scale up when the threat changes

High net worth security services are usually bought for a steady state: a residential team, a driver, an agent for travel, monitoring at night. That steady state is right for much of the year. The harder question is what happens when the threat changes suddenly. A threat arrives by voice message. Someone in the family’s circle is attacked. A public role brings a burst of hostility. At that point the family needs more protection, quickly, and the program has to be able to grow without falling apart.

Two reports this week show public figures going through exactly that. On October 22, 2026, The Times of Israel reported that security for former prime minister Naftali Bennett had been doubled in recent days following threats and attempted attacks, bringing his protection to a level equivalent to that of a defense minister, according to Hebrew media reports later confirmed by his party. The paper reported that last month two glass salt shakers were thrown at Bennett during a campaign stop, striking two members of his staff, one of whom needed medical treatment, and that a man had been indicted on charges of simple assault and disrupting public order.

On October 20, News9 reported that actor Salman Khan was seen surrounded by heavy security at Mumbai’s Kalina airport, days after the shooting that targeted actor Tiger Shroff in Juhu, and after an audio recording surfaced in which a man claiming to belong to a criminal gang threatened Khan and his family. The report said armed security personnel accompanied Khan as he stepped out of his vehicle, and that Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister had assured a review of security arrangements for members of the film industry after the attack on Shroff.

Neither of these men is a private family. Both are protected in part by the state. But both show the moment I want to examine: a sudden rise in threat, and a protective response that has to rise with it. This article supports the section on close protection and when it is used, and the section on what a professional program includes, in our complete 2026 overview of high net worth security. That pillar piece explains how high net worth security fits together. Here I want to focus on scaling: how a family’s protection goes up, how it comes down again, and what has to be in place beforehand for either to work.

If you want to know what a complete program looks like in its steady state, read our piece on what a high net worth security services program includes. This article starts from that program and asks what happens when it needs to grow.

Key takeaways

• High net worth security services should be designed to scale up quickly when the threat changes, and to scale down in a controlled way when it passes.
• In the Israeli case, protection for a former prime minister was doubled after threats and attempted attacks, according to the reporting. A defined higher level that can be switched on is the model families need too.
• In the Mumbai case, the attack on one actor was followed by a threat to another and by visibly heavier security for him. Threats can move across a network of associated people.
• Scaling up works when the extra people, vehicles and procedures are planned in advance, not hired in a rush.
• Visible protection deters some threats and attracts attention. The choice between visible and discreet is part of the decision.
• Every increase should have a reason, a review date and a way back to normal.
• Recommended HNW security teams agree triggers, levels and decision makers with the family before anything happens.

What was reported this week

I am staying with what named publications reported. The man indicted over the salt shaker incident has not been convicted. In the Mumbai case, police were investigating alleged gang links, and I am not going to speculate about who is responsible or why.

The former prime minister’s detail

According to The Times of Israel, the increase came as Bennett was touring strongholds of his political rivals ahead of the October 27 election. The paper reported that, in the incident last month, two glass salt shakers were hurled at him during a campaign stop in Bnei Brak, striking two members of his staff, one of whom required medical treatment. Police later filed an indictment against a 26-year-old local resident on charges of simple assault and conduct that could disrupt public order.

The paper also reported that the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, had thwarted several plots by foreign operatives to harm Bennett over the past year, reportedly linked to his actions as prime minister. And it described the wider climate: heated rhetoric before the election, the president’s repeated warnings, and threats against other political leaders.

Two things stand out to me. First, the increase was to a defined level, equivalent to that of a serving minister. It was not an improvised addition of a few people. Second, the threats came from different directions: a local person at a campaign stop and, according to the reporting, foreign operatives over a longer period. A protective program has to deal with both.

The actor at the airport

News9 reported that Salman Khan arrived at the private airport in Mumbai on Tuesday, October 20, with an increased security presence. The report said Khan had already been under heightened security following repeated threats allegedly linked to a jailed gangster and his associates. After the firing at Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu on the Sunday evening, a recording surfaced in which a man claiming gang membership threatened Khan and his family and demanded an apology. A social media post claiming responsibility for the Shroff attack also warned others in the film industry who work with Khan. The report said three people had been arrested in connection with the attack on Shroff and that police were investigating the alleged network.

What this shows is how threat moves through a network. An attack on one person becomes a message to others. A protective program for any person connected to the target, whether through work, family or friendship, has to ask whether the threat has just changed for them too.

Why steady-state protection is not enough

Many families buy security at the level that fits their normal life. That is sensible. Paying for a full detail around the clock when the risk does not justify it is wasteful and intrusive. But a program built just for the steady state has no room to grow. When the threat rises, the family discovers that the extra agents are not available, the second car is not ready, the residence team does not know the new procedures, and nobody has decided who is in charge.

I have seen this pattern many times. A threat arrives on a Friday evening. The family office calls around for more people. The people who come are unfamiliar with the family, the house and the routines. Instructions are given by phone. Within a week the family is tired of strangers in the house and the extra protection is quietly dropped, often before the threat has passed.

High net worth security services should be built with scaling in mind from the start. That means a defined set of levels, a pool of people who know the family and can step up, and procedures that are written for each level before they are needed.

Defining protection levels in advance

The Israeli reporting describes a specific level of protection, equivalent to that of a defense minister. State protective services work this way: levels are defined, and a person moves between them as the threat changes. Families can borrow the idea without the bureaucracy.

For the families I work with, I usually set out three or four levels. The details vary, but the structure looks like this:

Level one, the steady state. The normal program: residential security as needed, a trained driver, protective intelligence monitoring, an agent for travel or public events.

Level two, elevated. A specific concern exists, such as a threat that has been assessed as credible but not imminent, or an incident affecting someone close to the family. Additions might include an agent with the principal during the working day, a second residential officer at night, closer monitoring of online activity and a review of routines and routes.

Level three, high. The threat is specific and current. The principal and family members who are named or at risk have close protection whenever they leave the house, the residence is staffed around the clock, schedules are changed and shared on a need-to-know basis, and liaison with police is active.

Level four, critical. Used rarely. It may mean relocating the family temporarily, suspending public appearances and travel, or bringing in a larger team for a defined period.

For each level, the plan sets out who does what, which additional people and vehicles are needed, where they come from, and what changes in the family’s daily life. The point is that nobody has to invent the response in the middle of the night.

Triggers: what moves the level up

The hardest part of scaling is deciding when. Families tend either to overreact to every unpleasant message or to underreact until something happens. A small set of agreed triggers helps.

The triggers I use include:

• A threat that names a family member, a place or a time, or that shows knowledge of the family’s routines.
• A threat from someone who has shown signs of planning, such as asking about schedules, visiting locations or acquiring weapons.
• An attack or credible threat against someone closely associated with the family, as happened around the film industry in Mumbai according to the reporting.
• A public role or event that draws hostility, such as an election campaign, a controversial business decision or a high-profile legal case.
• An incident at the home or on the road, such as a break-in, a follow or an approach.
• Information from police or other credible sources.

Each trigger leads to an assessment, not an automatic jump. The protection lead and the family’s decision maker review the information and choose a level. Our article on close protection for UHNW families in the first 72 hours describes how that assessment works when a threat first arrives.

Who decides

The decision to raise or lower protection affects the whole family: their privacy, their routines, their children’s lives, their costs. It needs a clear decision maker. In some families that is the principal. In others it is a spouse, a chief of staff or the head of the family office. What matters is that it is agreed in advance and that the protection lead knows who to call.

The protection lead’s role is to advise clearly: what the information shows, what level they recommend, what that would mean in practice, and what the risks are of not doing it. The decision maker’s role is to decide. When those roles are blurred, decisions are delayed, and delay is what a threat exploits.

Where the extra people come from

Scaling up means more people. The question is which people. An agent who has never met the family, does not know the house and has never driven the routes is less effective than one who has. That is why I build a pool of trained people around each family who know the family and its routines and can step up when needed.

In practice that means the agents and officers who cover the family’s travel, events and relief shifts in the steady state are the same people who form the larger team when the level goes up. They have been inside the house, they know the children’s names and schools, they know where the safe room is and they know the residence team. When the call comes, they arrive already briefed.

Vehicles matter too. Scaling up often means a second car, so that the principal and family members can move separately, or a follow car for the principal. If the family has to rent or borrow vehicles at short notice, the drivers will be unfamiliar with them. Planning for this in advance, even simply knowing which vehicle will be used, saves time.

Visible or discreet

The Mumbai report describes visibly heavy security: armed personnel accompanying Khan from his vehicle at the airport. That visibility sends a message. It tells anyone watching that the person is protected and that an attempt would be difficult. For some threats, that is exactly what is needed.

For private families, visibility has costs. It attracts attention, it tells observers that something has changed, and it can frighten children and neighbors. Many of the families I work with prefer discreet protection at higher levels: agents in plain clothes, ordinary vehicles, protection that blends into daily life.

The right choice depends on the threat. A threat from someone who wants to be seen, or who may be deterred by visible protection, may call for visibility. A threat that depends on surprise may be better countered by protection the threat does not see. Our article on discreet UHNW protection with a low visible footprint explains how low-visibility protection works.

Close protection for UHNW families: who needs it when the level rises

When the level rises, the first question is who is at risk. In the Mumbai recording, as reported, the threat was against Khan and his family. In many cases a threat names one person but the risk extends to others: a spouse, children, elderly parents, sometimes close staff.

Close protection for UHNW families at higher levels means deciding who gets an agent and when. The principal may need an agent whenever they leave the house. Children may need protection on the school run and at activities, coordinated with the school. A spouse who works may need protection to and from the office. Elderly parents living separately may need their own residential cover. Each person’s routine has to be reviewed.

Our article on close protection for UHNW families in Los Angeles covers how this works in the local setting. The point here is that scaling up is rarely about one person.

Private security for high net worth family homes at higher levels

The residence usually changes first. At higher levels, private security for high net worth family homes moves from periodic or night-time cover to round-the-clock staffing. The perimeter is armed at all times. Deliveries are received at the gate rather than at the door. Visitors are confirmed before arrival. Staff are briefed and told what to say to anyone who asks about the family.

These changes are disruptive. Staff need to know why, in general terms, and need to know the new routines. A residence team that has practiced the higher level, even once, will adapt far more smoothly than one that is learning on the first night.

Personal security for high networth individuals who keep working

Bennett was campaigning when his protection was increased, according to the reporting. Khan was traveling. Neither stopped working. That is typical. People in public roles rarely want to stop, and often cannot.

Personal security for high networth individuals who keep working under a higher threat means adjusting the work rather than abandoning it. Public appearances can be shortened, announced later or held in more controlled venues. Travel can be planned more carefully, with private terminals and secure arrivals. Office routines can change, with different entrances and times. Our article on personal security for high networth individuals at work covers the office and airport side of this.

Medical readiness when the level rises

In the Israeli reporting, the salt shaker incident injured a member of staff badly enough to need medical treatment. That detail is easy to pass over, but it matters. When a threat rises, the chance of someone being hurt rises with it, and that someone is often not the principal. Staff, agents, drivers and bystanders are all closer to the danger than the plans usually assume.

At higher levels, I want every agent on the detail trained in trauma first aid, a medical kit in every protected vehicle and at the residence, and a plan for the nearest appropriate hospital on every route and at every venue. For families with elderly members or people with medical conditions, the plan also covers their routine medical needs, because a family under higher protection may not be able to make its usual visits to doctors and pharmacies. Our article on estate medical readiness for UHNW households covers the residential side.

Travel at higher levels

The Mumbai report describes protection at a private airport. Travel is where many protective programs are tested hardest, because the family moves through places it does not control: terminals, hotels, venues, unfamiliar roads. At higher levels, travel needs more advance work, not less.

In practice that means advance checks of arrival and departure points, secure vehicles waiting at the aircraft or the terminal, hotels booked under other names, and no public mention of travel until the family has left a place. Some trips should be postponed. Others can go ahead with a larger team. The decision should be made deliberately, with the protection lead and the decision maker looking at the specific trip, not as a blanket rule. Our article on close protection for UHNW families traveling abroad covers travel planning in depth.

Working alongside state protection

Both men in this week’s reports are protected, at least in part, by state agencies. Some of the families I advise also have contact with public protection at times: a family member who holds public office, a principal who receives an official security assessment after a threat, or an event where police provide protection for a visiting dignitary.

When private and public protection overlap, roles have to be clear. The state agency is responsible for its protectee within its mandate. The family’s private team is responsible for everything else: the residence, other family members, private movements and the gaps the state does not cover. The two need a way to share information, and the private team needs to understand the agency’s procedures so that it does not get in the way. Our article on private security for high net worth family and police liaison explains how to build that working relationship.

The staff who travel with the principal

In the incident described by the Times of Israel, the objects thrown at a campaign stop struck members of the former prime minister’s staff. That is a reminder that the people who travel with a principal, such as assistants, advisers, communications staff and drivers, are inside the same risk. When protection is increased for a principal, I ask families to think about the people around them too. Do they know what to do if something is thrown, if a crowd surges, if a vehicle is blocked? Do they know where to go and who to follow? A short briefing for regular staff, and their inclusion in the movement plan, reduces confusion at exactly the moment the protection team needs everyone to move quickly.

Threats that move through a network

The Mumbai reporting describes a post claiming responsibility for the attack on Shroff that warned others in the film industry who work with Khan that they would be next. Whatever the truth of that claim, which police were investigating, the pattern is real. Threats do not stay with one person. They spread to business partners, friends, people who appear in photographs together, and families.

For the families I work with, this means protective intelligence has to watch the network, not just the principal. If a business partner is attacked, if a friend’s home is targeted, if a public figure the family is associated with receives a threat, the protection lead should ask whether the family’s own level needs to change. Often it does not. Sometimes it does. The point is to ask the question deliberately rather than to discover the answer later.

Family offices can help by keeping the protection lead informed about the family’s associations: new business relationships, public partnerships, high-profile friends who visit the home, events the family attends with others. That information is sensitive and should be handled carefully. But a protection lead who does not know about a relationship cannot assess the risk it carries.

Family office high net worth individuals security: the cost of scaling

Scaling up costs money. Family office high net worth individuals security has to plan for that cost in advance, not argue about it in the middle of an incident. I usually agree with family offices a budget line for elevated periods, with an understanding of what each level costs per week. That way, when the decision maker raises the level, the family office already knows the financial impact and can approve it quickly.

The family office also handles the practical side: contracts with additional providers if needed, accommodation for agents who travel with the family, extra vehicles, communications equipment. These things take time to arrange from scratch. A short list of pre-agreed suppliers and arrangements saves days.

Security for UHNW family offices: information discipline at higher levels

When the level rises, information becomes more sensitive. Schedules, travel plans, the location of family members and the details of the protection itself all need tighter control. Security for UHNW family offices at higher levels means reducing the number of people who know the family’s movements, using secure communications for scheduling and avoiding any public mention of travel or events.

The protection itself should not be discussed outside the people who need to know. Staff should be told what to say if asked, which is usually nothing. Our article on security for UHNW family offices and schedule leaks explains how information escapes and how to control it.

Scaling down: the step families skip

Scaling up gets attention. Scaling down is where many programs fail. Either protection stays at a high level long after the threat has passed, wearing out the family and the budget, or it is dropped abruptly because the family is tired of it, before anyone has checked whether the threat has gone.

Every increase should come with a review date and the conditions for stepping down. Those conditions might include an arrest, a period without further contact, a completed event, or an assessment that the threat has lost its focus. When the conditions are met, the level steps down one stage at a time, with monitoring continuing. If something changes, it steps back up.

The Israeli reporting describes protection increased during an election campaign. Elections end. The same logic applies to families: a period of public attention around a business deal, a legal case or a public event will usually fade, and protection should follow it down in a controlled way. A period after a threatening incident usually calls for higher protection for weeks or months, not indefinitely.

Home security for high net worth individuals that can absorb more people

A practical point that families rarely consider: where do the extra people go? Home security for high net worth individuals at higher levels may mean two or three additional officers on the property around the clock. They need somewhere to work, rest and keep their equipment that does not intrude on the family’s private space. They need access to cameras and communications. They need to know the house.

Estates designed with a security office, a guardhouse or a command space handle this easily. Homes without one often end up with officers in the kitchen or in parked cars. When I review a property, I look at where an elevated team would be based, so that the plan for scaling up includes the physical space. Our article on estate command centers for UHNW residential security explains what that space can look like.

Children and the change in routine

Children notice when the people around them change. A new agent on the school run, a car parked outside the house at night, adults talking quietly in the kitchen. If nobody explains, children fill the gap with their own fears.

Parents should decide how much to tell children, based on their age. Young children can be told that some new helpers are around for a while. Older children may need to know more, including any changes to how they get to school, what they post online and who they tell about their plans. Schools may need to be informed, discreetly, if protection extends to the school day.

A hypothetical walk-through: a threat on a Friday evening

This is not a real case. It is the scenario I use to test whether a family’s scaling plan works.

On a Friday evening, a business partner of a family principal in Beverly Hills is assaulted outside his home. That night, the principal receives a voice message from an unknown number referring to the assault and saying “you are next.” The family’s protection lead receives a copy within minutes, through the reporting route the family has practiced.

The protection lead calls the decision maker, the principal’s chief of staff, and recommends moving to level three for the weekend pending police assessment. The chief of staff agrees. The protection lead calls three agents from the family’s pool, all of whom have worked with the family before. By 10 pm, a second officer is at the residence, the perimeter is fully armed and the weekend schedule has been reviewed. The children’s Saturday sports match is moved to a friend’s home. The principal’s Saturday lunch is cancelled.

Police are informed the same night through the family’s established contact. On Monday, after a review with police, the level is set at two for the following two weeks, with a further review planned. Three weeks later, after an arrest in the assault case and no further contact, the level returns to one, with monitoring continuing for another month.

The plan worked because the levels were defined, the people were known, the decision maker was clear and the step down was planned as carefully as the step up.

High net worth security services: testing the plan before it is needed

A protection level that exists on paper but has never been used is a guess. High net worth security services should test the scaling plan at least once a year, in a way that does not frighten the family. That can be as simple as running the elevated level for a weekend when the family is traveling anyway, or walking through the hypothetical with the decision maker, the residence team and the agents in the pool.

The test answers practical questions. How long did it take to get the extra agents to the house? Did they know where to go? Did the second vehicle start? Did the residence team know the new routine for deliveries? Did the family office know whom to call for extra accommodation? Every gap found in a test is a gap that will not appear during a real threat.

I also ask families to review the plan when life changes: a new home, a new school, a new public role, a new business venture or a change in household staff. Each of these can change who needs protection at a higher level and how it would be delivered. High net worth security services that are reviewed just when something goes wrong are always one step behind.

Finally, the people who would form the larger team need to stay current. Agents who covered the family a year ago may have moved on. The pool should be refreshed, introduced to the family and briefed on changes. That small investment is what makes a Friday night phone call turn into a calm, organized response.

High net worth security services and in-house research and development

At MSB Protection we run in-house research and development to counter the threats our UHNW clients face. For scaling, that work focuses on how we define and document protection levels for each family, how we keep a trained pool of agents familiar with each household, and how our teams share information quickly when a level changes. We test these tools in our own operations before we rely on them for a client.

High net worth security services that can scale smoothly are not an accident. They are the result of planning done when nothing is happening.

What recommended HNW security teams do when the threat rises

When families ask what recommended HNW security teams do when a threat rises, I would expect a capable team to:

• Have defined protection levels for the family, with written procedures for each.
• Agree triggers and a decision maker in advance.
• Keep a pool of trained people who know the family and can step up.
• Plan vehicles, space and communications for higher levels.
• Watch the family’s network, not just the principal.
• Choose deliberately between visible and discreet protection.
• Set review dates and conditions for stepping down.
• Work with police throughout.

High net worth security for families with public roles

Families with public roles, such as those in politics, entertainment, sport or high-profile business, will move between levels more often than others. High net worth security for those families should assume that the level will rise several times a year and plan accordingly. The cases reported this week involve exactly such people. A former prime minister in an election campaign and an actor connected to a violent dispute will see their risk rise and fall with events. Families in similar positions need programs that can do the same.

What families and family offices can do now

• Write down three or four protection levels and what each would mean for your family.
• Agree the triggers that would prompt a review, and who decides.
• Identify the people who would form a larger team and make sure they know the family.
• Plan the vehicles, space and communications an elevated team would need.
• Set a budget line for elevated periods.
• Agree how information will be controlled at higher levels.
• Decide how you will talk to children and staff if the level rises.
• Make sure every increase has a review date.

Frequently asked questions

How do high net worth security services scale up during a threat?

By moving to a pre-defined higher level, with additional people who already know the family, planned vehicles and procedures, and a clear decision maker. The response should be rehearsed, not improvised.

How quickly can protection be increased?

With a plan and a pool of trained people, within hours. Without them, it can take days, and the people who arrive may not know the family or the house.

Should protection be visible or discreet?

It depends on the threat. Visible protection can deter some threats but attracts attention. Discreet protection suits many private families. The choice should be deliberate.

Does a threat against someone we know affect our family?

It can. Threats move through networks of business partners, friends and associates. Your protection lead should assess whether your level needs to change.

When should protection be reduced?

When the conditions set at the time of the increase are met, such as an arrest, a period without contact or the end of an event. Reduce one level at a time and keep monitoring.

Ready to grow, ready to step back

The reports this week describe public figures whose protection increased after threats and attacks. They were able to scale up because the systems around them had defined levels and the people to fill them. Private families do not have state protection, so they have to build that ability themselves.

High net worth security services should be designed for the steady state and for the moment it changes. For the wider program that sits around this, read our complete 2026 overview of high net worth security. If you would like your protection levels defined and tested, our executive protection and residential security teams can build them with you, and our security assessment will show where your current program would struggle to scale. You can contact us for a confidential conversation.

Sources

• The Times of Israel, Bennett security doubled as he faces threats, attack plots before election, October 22, 2026
• News9, Salman Khan steps out with heavy security after Tiger Shroff attack, October 20, 2026

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About Michael Braun

Michael Braun is a former Special Unit Operator, former Manager at Gavin de Becker & Associates, and Founder & CEO of MSB Protection, an executive protection and residential security firm serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Braun has built his career at the intersection of specialized protective operations, executive protection, residential security, protective intelligence, and security risk management. His experience spans special-unit operations, leadership within Gavin de Becker & Associates, and the development and oversight of private protection programs within demanding UHNW environments.

He has been recognized by The Top 100 Magazine as a leading CEO in the private security field and is the subject of an upcoming Marquis Who’s Who feature highlighting his leadership and contributions to the profession.

Today, Braun is recognized for his work in executive protection, UHNW estate security, residential protection, protective intelligence, adversarial security assessments, and security auditing throughout Beverly Hills and Southern California.

His work focuses on moving private security beyond simply “providing a body” and toward intelligence-led, risk-based protection programs designed to identify vulnerabilities before an adversary can exploit them.

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Looking for Executive Protection or Residential Security Services?

If you are a high-net-worth or ultra-high-net-worth individual, family office, estate manager, chief of staff, or executive in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Malibu or Southern California, MSB Protection provides executive protection, residential security, 24/7 protection, protective intelligence, medical-readiness planning, and security risk management.

We evaluate the complete security environment, from threat exposure and residential vulnerabilities to personnel, technology, procedures, protective intelligence, and emergency response, and build a program around the risks that actually exist.

Contact us for a confidential consultation or message us at +1 (805) 285-2807.