Surging Risks in Beverly Hills and High-Profile Enclaves (2026)

Beverly Hills is synonymous with luxury and privacy, yet recent events reveal that wealth now equates to vulnerability. In 2024–2025, ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families in Beverly Hills and similar enclaves faced a spike in targeted crimes and security threats. Even as overall crime in Beverly Hills slightly declined in 2024, residential burglaries saw alarming jumps – rising 55% from August to September 2024, and another 18% from December 2024 to January 2025. These statistics underscore a new reality: affluent neighborhoods once deemed “impenetrable bubbles” are now on alert. Criminals are specifically targeting prestige zip codes like Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Hidden Hills, shattering the myth that gated communities alone guarantee safety.

Notably, Beverly Hills logged 109 home invasion incidents in a single year, nearly two per week. Robberies have grown brazen and coordinated – 69 armed robberies in 2023 (a 25% jump from 2022) often aimed at watches, jewelry, and luxury handbags in private driveways and even inside homes. One chilling case was the home-invasion murder of Jacqueline Avant (wife of music executive Clarence Avant) in late 2021, a tragedy that shocked Beverly Hills into recognizing its exposure to violent crime. While that incident predates our 2026 focus, it set the stage for a “prestige to predator target” shift that has only intensified.

Criminal patterns have evolved: organized burglary crews now use sophisticated tactics like drones, RF signal jammers, and social media monitoring to identify high-value homes and pinpoint when residents are away. High-profile estates featured in real estate media or social feeds can inadvertently leak security vulnerabilities. For example, multiple Beverly Hills mansions highlighted in architecture tours or celebrity Instagram posts were later hit by thieves who knew exactly when and where to strike. Clearly, visibility and wealth have become beacons for threat actors, not shields.

High-Profile Break-Ins and Property Targeting

In recent months, a string of headline-grabbing home invasions and burglaries in Los Angeles’s wealthy enclaves has underscored the need for robust estate security. Even celebrities with security measures in place have fallen victim. In February 2025, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s Beverly Hills home was burglarized while they were away. A burglar smashed a glass door and ransacked the interior before fleeing. Police noted this incident came amid an uptick of break-ins in the area, including a Feb. 5 home invasion at soccer star Olivier Giroud’s Los Angeles residence that netted thieves an estimated $500,000 in valuables. These coordinated hits show criminals are choosing targets with known high rewards, often timing attacks when celebrities are traveling or at public events. (In Giroud’s case, intruders struck while the athlete was occupied with a match, taking advantage of his public game schedule being common knowledge.)

A particularly striking incident occurred in November 2025: burglars hit the homes of two Real Housewives of Beverly Hills stars, Kathy Hilton and Sutton Stracke, on the same night. Both women were out of town at BravoCon in Las Vegas – a fact well-publicized beforehand – suggesting the thieves deliberately struck when they knew the occupants (and their security details) would be absent. At the Hilton residence, Rick Hilton was home upstairs and heard intruders breaking a glass door during a rainstorm, at a moment when the on-site guard happened to be stationed at a distant part of the property. Mr. Hilton retrieved a shotgun and confronted three suspects who had breached the master bedroom. He warned them police were en route and fired shots into the air, spooking the intruders into fleeing. The burglars still managed to steal luxury handbags and jewelry from Ms. Stracke’s home nearby that same night. This coordinated raid on multiple Beverly Hills mansions highlights how criminal crews now research their victims’ schedules via social media and events, then strike multiple properties in one sweep to maximize their haul.

Such incidents are not isolated. In January 2025, Beverly Hills police arrested a group of suspects believed to be behind a months-long burglary spree across upscale neighborhoods including Beverly Hills, Glendale, and San Marino. Upon serving search warrants, officers recovered stolen jewelry, firearms, and even signal jammers – tools used to disable alarm systems – linking the crew to several high-end break-ins. Investigators suspect this crew was tied to a series of burglaries on well-known streets (Oakhurst Dr., Sierra Dr., Rodeo Dr.) in Beverly Hills the previous fall. The fact that criminals are operating in networks across city lines and using counter-surveillance gear illustrates the professionalization of property crimes targeting the rich.

Clearly, “home security services Beverly Hills, CA” cannot rely on alarms and patrols alone. As one local security review noted, “perimeter security is not enough – sophisticated criminals know how to bypass cameras, gates, and even community patrols”. In response, private security services in Beverly Hills are evolving to meet these challenges, deploying tactics once reserved for protecting corporate facilities or heads of state. This includes residential close protection teams that blend physical guarding with intelligence-led monitoring, ensuring that UHNW families have real-time protection even when estates appear dormant or owners are traveling.

Ideological Aggression: Anti-Wealth Sentiment and Symbolic Violence

Beyond financially motivated crime, UHNW individuals now face ideologically driven aggression. In the past two years, a rising anti-wealth sentiment has fueled incidents ranging from harassment campaigns to actual violence against prominent figures. The most stark example was the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024 – a murder apparently motivated by rage at corporate “greed” and insurance practices. Thompson was shot outside a Manhattan hotel by a suspect who had prepared a manifesto criticizing the health insurance industry and carried out the attack with chilling symbolism: the shell casings at the scene were inscribed with the words “delay, deny, depose,” a reference to alleged insurance tactics. Authorities believe the shooter saw UnitedHealthcare as a “parasitic” industry and viewed himself as striking a blow against corporate injustice. This ideologically charged killing sent shockwaves through the executive world – not only for its brutality, but for the public reaction that followed.

In the aftermath, an outpouring of anti-corporate vitriol flooded social media. Disturbingly, a segment of the public praised the assassin as a folk hero and celebrated the CEO’s death as righteous retribution. Within days, extremist influencers were encouraging similar actions. For example, a socialist fashion brand launched a controversial deck of “Most Wanted CEOs” playing cards – modeled after the infamous Iraq War playing cards – featuring real corporate CEOs’ faces over gun-sight targets. The founder of the brand, James Harr, unveiled this project just days after Thompson’s killing, even calling the murder “good news” and the gunman his “f—ing hero” in one TikTok video. Each suit of his cards represents an industry (e.g. pharmaceuticals for clubs, tech for diamonds), with QR codes linking to why each CEO is “evil”. While Harr claimed “I’m not suggesting anyone cause physical harm”, the implication was clear – these executives were being openly demonized and marked in popular culture. One online commenter even asked if the deck would include home addresses of the CEOs, blurring the line between rhetorical gimmick and actionable doxxing.

Meanwhile, protest movements targeting wealth and power have gained momentum, adding to the climate of ideological aggression. In 2024 and 2025, Southern California saw “No Kings” and “Workers Over Billionaires” rallies draw tens of thousands of protesters, reflecting anger at economic inequality and political elites. While largely peaceful, some demonstrations symbolically singled out the rich – for instance, a “People Over Billionaires” march in San Francisco wound through the city’s wealthiest neighborhood, venting at the mansions of prominent Trump donors. In Los Angeles, labor and social justice groups organized Labor Day protests explicitly pitting workers against billionaires, with events in affluent districts from Northridge to Westside areas. The rhetoric of these movements (“refusal to let billionaires…divide working people for profit”) contributes to a narrative that paints UHNW individuals as fair game for public anger.

Some activists have also embraced symbolic property attacks to send a political message. Environmental groups, for example, extended their climate protests into wealthy enclaves via direct action. In one case, the international network “Tyre Extinguishers” targeted luxury SUVs in affluent neighborhoods as a statement against carbon emissions. Dozens of residents in a high-end Boston district awoke to find their SUV tires deflated and flyers on their windshield shaming them for driving “gas guzzlers”. The group explicitly chose Beacon Hill – an upscale area – to maximize the statement. While no one was physically harmed, such acts qualify as symbolic violence and deliberate harassment aimed at the lifestyle of the wealthy. They also carry risks: a panicked or elderly driver with a disabled car could be endangered, and confrontations could escalate. In Los Angeles, similar eco-activist tactics have been reported anecdotally in wealthy areas (e.g., tire deflations in Brentwood and Beverly Hills), suggesting the trend is spreading.

Climate activists have targeted SUVs in wealthy neighborhoods as a form of protest, deflating tires to send a message.

Another tactic blending ideology and personal threat is protesting at executives’ homes. Security analysts note a “continuing trend of personalizing the cause and taking harassment actions at the homes of targeted individuals”. In 2024, for instance, angry groups showed up outside the private residences of certain business and academic figures in Los Angeles, sometimes over political issues unrelated to those individuals’ personal actions. Recent examples include protesters gathering at the homes of university trustees and think-tank donors amid the Israel–Hamas conflict, and activists staging noisy demonstrations on the lawns of finance executives accused of funding controversial political campaigns. Such home protests are intimidating and can quickly turn dangerous – there have been cases of property damage and attempts to confront the occupants.

In sum, ideological aggression toward the ultra-wealthy is at its highest level in decades, fueled by online echo chambers and real-world frustrations. For UHNW families in Beverly Hills, this means threat modeling must account not just for opportunistic crime, but also for hostility simply based on their status. An incident on the East Coast can inspire a copycat on the West Coast overnight. The “Beverly Hills executive protection” strategy now needs to include monitoring of socio-political trends and chatter that might portend risk to prominent residents (for example, tracking if a local billionaire’s name is trending in extremist forums).

Doxxing and Digital Exposure: The Online War on Privacy

Compounding all these threats is the reality that today’s UHNW individuals have nowhere to hide online. Personal data for wealthy executives and their families is widely available through public records, data breaches, and social media, making targeted harassment and planning dramatically easier. A recent cybersecurity analysis observed a significant rise in ideologically motivated threats to CEOs and VIPs in early 2025 – including doxxing, location tracking, and explicit calls for violence. Much of this uptick followed the Thompson shooting; in fact, by April 2025 a fringe website appeared called “Luigi Was Right” (honoring Thompson’s killer Luigi Mangione) that exposed personal information of over 1,000 executives as a hit list of sorts. Although that site was quickly taken down, it reappeared days later as “The CEO Database” with even more data, including home and mobile numbers and LinkedIn profiles of hundreds of CEOs. Flashpoint, a threat intelligence firm, confirmed it obtained the full list and began notifying affected companies. While a simple list of names and contacts may not in itself be a weapon, “personal information can be weaponized in numerous ways” once leaked. Security experts warn that doxxing lists enable harassment, stalking, and physical surveillance of targets, and can lead directly to threats like swatting or worse.

Indeed, research by Recorded Future’s Insikt Group in late 2023 found that those doxxed by violent extremists face heightened risk of real-world harm, including “harassment, stalking, protests, surveillance, and even physical attacks,” in addition to cyber attacks. The same study noted a “notable uptick in doxing…against corporate leaders” in 2023. Not only hackers but also domestic violent extremist (DVE) groups are increasingly publishing executives’ home addresses, family details, and personal histories – often as retaliation for corporate policies on contentious issues. For example, if a CEO makes a public statement on a political or social issue, or if their company is involved in a geopolitical event (say, ceasing operations in a conflict region), DVEs may respond by dumping that CEO’s private info online to incite intimidation. Current events are accelerating this trend: analysts predict doxing will increase in the future, putting business leaders in the crosshairs of partisan hatred.

Even without extremist involvement, the sheer volume of data breaches means most wealthy individuals’ data has leaked somewhere. By some estimates, over 75% of Fortune 500 executives have had personal information (home addresses, phone numbers, passwords) exposed online, whether via data broker sites or past hacks. Additionally, celebrity and executive travel is routinely tracked by hobbyists on Twitter/X (e.g. private jet trackers) and real estate records in places like Beverly Hills are public by law, allowing anyone to discover where VIPs live. Social media amplifies the risk: family members may innocently share vacation photos or upcoming plans, inadvertently tipping off criminals to an unoccupied home ripe for invasion. We saw this in the Hilton case, where public news of the stars attending BravoCon signaled their houses would be empty – info the burglars likely leveraged. Likewise, the Kidman burglary came soon after entertainment news outlets publicized the couple’s absence due to work commitments, possibly alerting thieves.

All this points to a pressing need for digital risk management as a core part of executive security. Traditional physical measures alone (gates, alarms, guards) are not enough when a threat actor across the world can post your address and rally others against you in minutes. Modern Beverly Hills executive security teams now employ cyber intelligence to regularly sweep the internet (including the dark web) for chatter about their principals and to scrub personal identifiable information where possible. As ZeroFox, a leading digital security firm, notes, “the lines between online chatter and physical danger have blurred; a single tweet can signal intended physical violence”. Advanced services monitor for any doxxing incidents or leaked data about clients – for instance, detecting if a family’s home address or license plate suddenly surfaces on a forum – so that protective measures can be adjusted immediately. In 2026, effective close protection for UHNW families means protecting not just the estate and the person, but their information sphere as well. Keeping a low profile is increasingly difficult when every property purchase, lawsuit, or luxury car registration leaves a digital trail. Thus, countermeasures like removing home addresses from data broker listings, using alias registrations for utilities, and curating social media footprints are now standard recommendations for high-profile clients.

Modern Estate Security and Executive Protection: What’s Required in 2026

Confronted with these evolving threats – from organized crime and ideological hostility to doxxing – UHNW families are reassessing what true protection entails. The consensus among security experts is that “a security guard at the gate is no longer sufficient”. Instead, modern executive protection in Beverly Hills must be a full-spectrum, proactive operation that combines physical security, technology, intelligence, and discretion. Below we outline key components of an expert-level protection program in 2026:

• Residential Fortification with Discreet Measures: High-end homes should employ layered security technology that works hand-in-hand with human vigilance. This means not just alarms and CCTV, but smart sensors, infrared perimeter detection, and biometric access controls – all monitored by professionals who can respond in real time. Importantly, these defenses must remain low-profile and respectful of privacy. As one Beverly Hills estate security advisor put it, effective security is “not about creating a fortress – it’s about quietly protecting the people and property that matter most”. This includes rigorous screening of visitors, contractors, and deliveries to intercept would-be infiltrators or surveillants (e.g. fake delivery personnel). Properties in 2026 are also wise to establish a safe room or secure area for family members in case of a home invasion, and to conduct regular emergency drills (for scenarios like home invasions, fires, or earthquakes).
• Vetted Personnel and Insider Threat Mitigation: Surprisingly, one of the growing concerns for UHNW households is the insider threat. Domestic staff, vendors, or even short-term contractors can, if unvetted, pose risks – from theft of valuables to leaking of private information or collusion with outside criminals. In Beverly Hills, there have been cases where disgruntled ex-employees tipped off burglars about weak points in an employer’s home, or where staff unknowingly posted interior photos online that revealed security system details. Thus, modern estate security involves extensive background checks, confidentiality agreements, and ongoing oversight for anyone with access to the home. Many UHNW families now hire residential security managers (often through firms specializing in private security services in Beverly Hills) who oversee household staff and coordinate closely with executive protection agents. Trust and integrity are paramount – security providers emphasize long-term relationships over temp hires, ensuring agents truly understand the family’s routine and values.
• Intelligence-Driven Protection (Online and Offline): A top-tier Beverly Hills close protection team in 2026 dedicates significant effort to anticipation and prevention. This means leveraging intelligence analysts to detect threats early – whether it’s identifying a stalker’s patterns, monitoring extremist forums for mentions of the client, or getting advance notice of local protests or crime trends. Having this data helps agents adjust the client’s security posture (like increasing surveillance if there’s a wave of home robberies targeting celebrities, or altering travel routes if an activist demonstration is planned nearby). Executive protection now merges cybersecurity with physical security; as ZeroFox notes, PII leaked on the dark web can lead to a real-world breach “faster than ever before,” so protective teams must keep eyes on “both the streets and the screens”. In practice, this may involve using specialized threat intelligence platforms that flag when an executive’s name, address, or family members suddenly trend in illicit online spaces. By catching these digital signals, security can neutralize threats before they reach the front door.
• Close Protection Operatives and 24/7 Tactical Readiness: The cornerstone of close protection for UHNW families remains the highly trained protection agent. However, the role has expanded beyond the stereotypical bodyguard. In 2026, elite executive protection (EP) agents often double as security drivers, advance scouts, medics, and personal safety concierges for the family. They are adept at defensive and evasive driving, emergency medical care, and have a deep knowledge of the client’s lifestyle and needs. Route planning and advance work are now standard – for every public outing or even daily school runs, EP teams map out secure routes, backup routes, and safe havens along the way. They conduct reconnaissance at restaurants or event venues ahead of the client’s arrival to ensure there are no security surprises. Additionally, medical readiness is a must: top EP agents are trained in trauma care and carry kits, a lesson underscored by incidents where having a skilled protector on hand meant the difference in medical emergencies.
• Integrated Estate & Executive Security Solutions: UHNW clients are increasingly seeking a single point of contact for all their security needs – a firm that provides both home security services in Beverly Hills, CA and personal executive protection seamlessly. This integration ensures nothing falls through the cracks. For instance, when the client travels, residential security doesn’t just stop; the estate team coordinates with traveling EP agents to monitor the home remotely, and vice versa. An example of integration is when a Hidden Hills estate’s private security guard successfully thwarted an attempted home invasion in 2024 – something that may not have happened without proactive coordination between the estate’s security system and on-site personnel. Beverly Hills executive protection providers like MSB Protection emphasize this holistic approach: they protect lives, assets, and reputations in tandem. That means if a doxxing incident occurs, the team not only safeguards the residence but also works to takedown the leaked info and bolster digital privacy, all while staying ready to physically intervene if any stalkers show up at the gate.
• Discrete but Urgent Posture: Finally, the tone of modern protection is authoritative yet discreetly urgent. UHNW families value privacy and normalcy – having a phalanx of obvious guards can be undesirable. The best close protection operates in the background: agents who blend into the household staff or shadow the client without drawing unnecessary attention. They maintain an “urgent” mindset – always anticipating the worst – but project calm and professionalism in everyday interactions. This balance is crucial in communities like Beverly Hills, where an overt security presence is often shunned, yet the risks demand urgency. Firms at the top of their game position themselves as trusted advisors and partners in safety, not just hireable muscle. The end goal is to let UHNW individuals enjoy their lifestyle freely while a vigilant, multi-layered security apparatus quietly surrounds them.

Conclusion: The New Standard for UHNW Protection in Beverly Hills

From the spate of high-end home invasions to the surge in anti-wealth doxxing and activism, the past two years have proven that even in Beverly Hills’ elite circles, security cannot be taken for granted. The threat landscape has shifted – wealth and status, once thought to insulate, now often attract unwanted attention. This reality calls for a new standard in protection. Beverly Hills close protection experts are urging families to be proactive, not reactive: engage professional private security services in Beverly Hills that understand these 2026 challenges intimately, rather than waiting for a scare or close call. As recent cases show, having the right measures in place – whether it’s an EP agent who can deter a home invader, or a security analyst who flags a brewing online threat – can avert tragedy and preserve peace of mind.

Ultimately, the message is clear. Beverly Hills and similar enclaves remain wonderful places to live for UHNW families, but they are not crime-proof nor controversy-proof. Security today must extend from the home gates to the digital realm, and it must be handled with the same sophistication that adversaries are employing. An authoritative yet unobtrusive approach, leveraging state-of-the-art tools and highly trained personnel, is the key to keeping ultra-wealthy families safe without sacrificing their privacy or lifestyle. Firms like MSB Protection – a Beverly Hills-based boutique security company specializing in executive and estate security– exemplify this approach by providing comprehensive, intelligence-led protection that adapts to modern threats. In an era of “visibility = vulnerability,” those in positions of wealth and prominence would do well to invest in such expert guidance. The stakes (life, safety, and legacy) are simply too high to rely on yesterday’s assumptions. Embracing a forward-looking, expert-level executive protection strategy is now a requisite part of life for UHNW families in Beverly Hills, CA and beyond, ensuring that even as threats evolve, the security of those who “have it all” remains a step ahead of those who would seek to take it.

By Michael Braun — Former Police Special Unit Operator, Former Manager at Gavin de Becker & Associates, and CEO of MSB Protection. One of the leading experts in executive protection and residential security as well as security auditing in Beverly Hills.