Event security tested by evolving cyber-physical threats

YARMOUTH, Maine — The evolving social and political landscape is changing the way the world approaches security for public events, and security providers must reshape their strategies to meet the challenge. 

On April 26, 2025, the late Pope Francis will be interred in Vatican City; in that time thousands of mourners and tourists will pour into Rome ahead of the funeral. The 2005 funeral of Pope John Paul II saw roughly 300,000 in attendance and required 8,000 security staff which included 2,000 uniformed police and 1,400 plainclothes officers. It’s the kind of monumental event that takes extensive planning. 

“For high-profile global events like the papal funeral, security planning begins months, and sometimes even years in advance, depending on the anticipated scale and visibility of the event,” said Mary Gates, president of GMR Security. “In the case of something like a papal funeral, which would involve heads of state, religious leaders, massive public crowds, and intense global media attention, planning often starts with contingency preparations well before the event is officially scheduled.” 

Those contingency preparations can begin as far ahead as 18 months as part of contingency plans that will accelerate as events occur. Gates said that security experts must keep in mind the unique risk factors that an event like this entails, like religious extremism, mass gatherings of people, onsite media professionals and more. In the years since 2005 security professionals also have had two newer factors that have taken center stage in a big way - cyber threats and aerial drones. 

“Event venues are becoming high-value cyber-physical targets,” said gates. “Threat actors may exploit networked infrastructure (e.g., lighting, HVAC, surveillance systems) to disrupt operations. Zero-trust architecture, SCADA segmentation, and cyber-physical incident response drills will become critical.”  

While drones are a threat to event security, they also act as a force multiplier according to Gates, one that she said elevates situational awareness for teams on the ground and flexible deployment for real-time intelligence. 

It’s all part of the evolving tool kit available as new threats and trends emerge for event security over the next decade, and that includes artificial intelligence (AI).  

“Event security in the coming decade will require a converged, intelligence-driven, and tech-augmented approach,” Gates concluded. “Success will depend on integrating physical security best practices with cutting-edge digital tools.”