C-Suites fear more executives could be targeted after the UnitedHealthcare CEO was gunned down

Corporations are scrambling to protect their senior executives. Boards are reassessing security budgets. And CEOs are being told to delete their digital footprints.

Corporations are scrambling to protect their senior executives as police warn of an elevated near-term threat against business leaders. Boards are reassessing security budgets. And CEOs are being told to delete their digital footprints. The stunning killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan last week has shaken C-Suites across the country, forcing leaders to ask themselves uncomfortable questions about their own preparedness for a threat landscape that appears far more serious than many realized just a week ago. Phones are ringing off the hook at top-dollar security firms to keep the captains of industry safe. “Corporate America is nervous. People are on high-alert,” Keith Wojcieszek, global head of intelligence at Kroll, told CNN in a phone interview. “Companies want to elevate their security posture. Healthcare is the target now but who’s next?” Wojcieszek said. The New York Police Department, in an intelligence report obtained by CNN Tuesday, said it believed Thompson’s killing was a “symbolic takedown” and could inspire others to act violently toward business leaders.