(TLP:CLEAR) U.S. Secret Service Report – Preventing Targeted Workplace Violence

Summary: Last month, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) published, “Preventing Targeted Workplace Violence: A U.S. Secret Service Guide to Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management.” This publication provides the U.S. Secret Service’s first comprehensive guidance to help organizations implement workplace violence prevention programs based on Secret Service methodology.

Analyst Note: In today’s heightened threat environment, socio-political grievances, financial troubles, or other factors can trigger disgruntled staff or other individuals towards violence. Furthermore, as WaterISAC has previously reported, disgruntled employees or individuals on a radicalization pathway rarely mask all warning signs of potential violence before carrying out an attack. Instead, many potential attackers exhibit red flags or proximal warning behaviors that together form patterns of risk, which other employees can detect and report to help prevent an act of violence before it occurs.

Accordingly, the Secret Service’s new publication is divided into two parts. The first offers key findings from an examination of the background and behavioral history of workplace attackers to help organizations recognize and report warning signs of violence. The second offers a scalable eight-step framework to guide organizations in developing effective programs to identify, assess, and manage concerning individuals and situations before violence occurs.

In addition, ASIS International recently published a revised version of its “Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention Standard,” which serves as another helpful resource for security managers. The ASIS standard provides extensive guidance on all the areas covered by the Secret Service report. Lastly, Gate 15’s in-depth white paper, “The Hostile Event Attack Cycle (HEAC), 2026 Update,” can also be leveraged to help prevent targeted violence.

Original Sources:

• https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2026-10/Preventing-Targeted-Workplace-Violence-A-U.S-Secret-Service-Guide-to-Behavioral-Threat-Assessment-and-Management.pdf
• https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2026/october/secret-service-asis-standard-workplace-violence/

Additional Reading:

• (TLP:CLEAR) Gate 15 White Paper – The Hostile Event Attack Cycle, 2026 Update
• Workplace Violence Bulletin Offers Guidance for Recognizing Threatening Behaviors and Strengthening an Organization’s Security Preparedness
• Understanding Behavioral Red Flags to Prevent Workplace Violence and Insider Threats

Mitigation Recommendations:

• CISA – Conflict Prevention
• FEMA’s Workplace Violence Awareness and Prevention Course

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 1, 2, 3, & 4