Digital Exposure Review for a High-Profile Client

In today’s interconnected world, the lines between professional and personal digital footprints are increasingly blurred. For senior executives, board members, and high-profile organisations, this creates significant vulnerability. From oversharing on social media to legacy breaches leaving credentials exposed, these fragments of information can be aggregated and weaponised by adversaries.

Our client — a multinational enterprise preparing for a flagship industry event — engaged us to conduct a Digital Exposure Review. Their goal was to understand what was visible online about their executives and corporate operations and to take immediate steps to reduce potential threats.

Over our investigation period, we applied a structured methodology combining open-source intelligence (OSINT), breach data analysis, and behavioural exposure mapping. We identified critical risks, including active credential exposure, metadata leaks and personal oversharing by staff and executive “circle of trust” members.

The outcome was tangible: the client reduced phishing exposure, mitigated reputational risks, and equipped their executive team with actionable steps to maintain digital hygiene moving forward.

Background & Client Need

The client, a global organisation in the defence sector, was preparing for a high-profile industry event attracting government, media and competitor attention. In advance of this, their leadership team expressed concerns about what sensitive information about executives, staff and operations could already be found online.

Their specific needs included:

• Identifying exposed credentials: Determining whether any staff or executive usernames and passwords were circulating in publicly accessible or criminal breach repositories.

• Assessing social media exposure: Understanding how staff behaviour — particularly oversharing on LinkedIn, Instagram, and other platforms — could inadvertently disclose sensitive information.

• Reviewing document metadata: Highlighting risks embedded in PDFs, Word documents or press releases that may reveal usernames, systems or author details.

• Evaluating support staff risks: Considering exposure of executive assistants and communications teams.

The underlying driver was reputational protection. The client wanted confidence that they could enter a global event without presenting an unnecessary digital attack surface to opportunistic adversaries or competitors.

The Challenge

The threat landscape for executives has shifted dramatically in recent years. Traditional cyber defences, while still critical, are no longer sufficient. Increasingly, attacks are designed not against networks or firewalls, but against people.

We identified several core challenges facing the client:

1. Volume of Digital Footprint
   Executives leave a large digital trail: interviews, press releases, speaking events, LinkedIn posts, conference appearances. Each piece of content is individually benign but, when aggregated, creates a detailed picture of behaviour and vulnerability.

2. Staff Oversharing
   Employees often unintentionally contribute to corporate exposure. “Proud to be flying out with the team for the event” seems harmless, but provides an adversary with real-time location intelligence.

3. Credential Leaks
   Legacy breaches — sometimes from many years ago — can still yield live or partially active credentials. If senior staff reused passwords across systems, adversaries could exploit them for account takeover or spear-phishing.

4. Metadata Blind Spots
   Press releases, PDFs, and Word documents can embed hidden metadata: usernames, software versions, and internal pathing. These overlooked details can inform more sophisticated attacks.

5. Circle of Trust
   Security does not stop with executives. Executive assistants, spouses, and comms staff often have a large online presence, inadvertently exposing details about travel, family life, or schedules.

For the client, the risk was not only technical compromise but also reputational damage. A high-profile breach or data leak during a flagship event could have undermined investor confidence and eroded stakeholder trust.

Our Approach

We employed a structured four-stage methodology to deliver the Digital Exposure Review:

1. Scoping

We engaged directly with the client’s Chief Security Officer and Communications Lead to define the scope. This included:

• Executives and senior managers to be reviewed.

• Specific time window (weeks before the global event).

• Priority concerns (credential compromise, oversharing, and metadata leaks).

• Agreed deliverables (comprehensive report and executive summary).

2. Collection

We conducted targeted open-source collection across multiple domains:

• Social Media Platforms: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and niche professional networks.

• Breach Repositories: Public and semi-public credential dumps.

• Corporate & Media Sites: Press releases, annual reports, interviews and PDF downloads.

• Forum Monitoring: Industry-related forums and open discussion boards.

3. Analysis

Collected data was categorised into three tiers:

• Immediate Risks: Active credential leaks, geolocation exposure, or metadata in live documents.

• Short-Term Risks: Behavioural oversharing patterns, weak account hygiene or predictable routines.

• Long-Term Risks: Broader patterns of exposure that could inform future targeting, such as travel habits or family links.

4. Reporting

We presented findings in a two-tier format:

• Executive Summary Report: A 12-page document with non-technical language, focusing on risks, implications, and actions.

• Technical Annex: Detailed evidence including screenshots, redacted examples, and step-by-step remediation actions.

Findings

Our review identified a number of critical risks:

Credential Exposure

• Three senior staff members, including one executive, had active credentials exposed in a legacy breach. Although some passwords were several years old, two were still linked to live corporate accounts.

Implication: These credentials could have facilitated targeted phishing, spear-phishing, or account takeover.

Geolocation Metadata

• Photos posted by a senior executive’s family member on Instagram revealed precise travel details, including real-time airport locations.

Implication: Adversaries could use this information to time phishing attacks or even orchestrate physical targeting.

Corporate Document Metadata

• A press release hosted on the corporate website contained metadata showing usernames and internal folder paths, inadvertently disclosing elements of the IT structure.

Implication: This provided adversaries with intelligence on naming conventions and internal systems.

Oversharing by Staff

• Several junior staff members shared posts on LinkedIn detailing the company’s presence at the upcoming industry event, including photos of stand construction and travel arrangements.

Implication: This revealed presence, staffing numbers, and real-time readiness, which could inform competitor intelligence or opportunistic disruption.

Family & Circle of Trust Exposure

• An executive assistant had inadvertently revealed personal details about their principal’s schedule through social media posts, including tagging locations.

Implication: Created a direct risk to executive safety and privacy.

Outcomes & Remediation

Our recommendations and the client’s subsequent actions included:

• Credential Remediation: All exposed accounts were reset, with enforced multi-factor authentication.

• Social Media Hygiene: Staff training sessions delivered within two weeks. High-risk staff were provided with tailored privacy setting guidance.

• Metadata Awareness: A policy introduced requiring metadata to be stripped from all documents prior to publication.

• Executive & Family Training: Tailored briefings for executives, assistants, and family members.

• Ongoing Monitoring: Client engaged us for ongoing monitoring of new breach exposures.

Value to the Client

The value of the Digital Exposure Review extended far beyond the remediation of immediate risks:

1. Reduced Attack Surface
   Phishing and spear-phishing exposure was significantly reduced, particularly in the lead-up to a high-profile event.

2. Reputational Protection
   By addressing risks pre-emptively, the client avoided potential reputational damage that could have arisen from an incident.

3. Board-Level Assurance
   The findings and remediation plan were presented to the board, providing assurance that digital hygiene was actively managed.

4. Investor Confidence
   At a time of heightened visibility, the organisation could demonstrate proactive risk management to investors and stakeholders.

5. Repeatable Framework
   The methodology created a repeatable process for the client, applicable for future events or annual reviews.

Why This Matters for Other Organisations

This case study highlights an increasingly universal reality: digital exposure is no longer a theoretical risk. It is a tangible and exploitable vulnerability.

Executives, board members, and organisations across all sectors face similar challenges. Whether in finance, law, energy, or technology, the aggregation of small fragments of information creates risk.

Our Digital Exposure Review provides a structured, rapid, and effective means of identifying and remediating those risks. For any organisation preparing for a high-profile event, merger, acquisition, or leadership transition, this service offers a direct route to reducing vulnerability.

Closing Note

Digital exposure is not static. New breaches emerge, staff behaviours change, and adversaries adapt. The most resilient organisations are those that view digital hygiene as an ongoing process, not a one-off exercise.

For our client, the Digital Exposure Review provided assurance at a critical juncture. For others, it offers a framework to manage risk proactively.

If your executives are preparing for high-profile engagements, our team can deliver a similar review within 10 business days, with immediate actionable insights and long-term resilience planning.