In an era where security threats, hacks, and even assisination attempts at major political events have become an urgent concern, Active Security has taken a fundamentally different approach to protecting large, stadium-level gatherings: building high-fidelity camera networks where compromising one device doesn’t give attackers access to everything else.
These networks are designed to integrate seamlessly into broader security environments, whether that’s supporting state, local, and government protection agencies or military operations. This ensures consistent, secure performance across network infrastructures.
The defense contracting firm, which secures some of the largest nationally televised political events, announced a strategic partnership with ZeroTier this week after successfully deploying the technology across multiple recent high-profile events.
These deployments go far beyond local events, encompassing large-scale, stadium-level political gatherings that demand robust, reliable, and secure network performance. The collaboration represents a shift in how organisations think about surveillance security when the stakes couldn’t be higher.
“Traditional VPN and hardware-based solutions simply couldn’t meet the speed, flexibility, and security requirements our discerning clients demand,” said JP Rike, Chief Technology Officer at Active Security. “So our technical team engineered a purpose-built, software-defined network leveraging ZeroTier’s advanced platform.”
The Problem: When Protection Becomes a Vulnerability
Most surveillance systems are built so that all the cameras connect through a shared network infrastructure. Once someone gains access to that infrastructure, they can potentially reach everything connected to it. Leveraging AI potentially can increase the risk of quick navigation of hacked infrastructure. This might be fine for everyday monitoring. But, for protecting major political events in an environment where assassination attempts are a real threat, it creates a dangerous single point of failure.
If someone gains access to one camera, they potentially gain visibility into the entire security operation. They can see where cameras are positioned, identify blind spots, track security personnel movements, and understand exactly how protection is structured. In other words, the very system designed to protect people becomes a reconnaissance tool for those trying to harm them.
This isn’t theoretical. In 2018, a hacker working for the Sinaloa Cartel infiltrated Mexico City’s surveillance camera system and accessed an FBI official’s phone records to track the assistant legal attaché through the city, identify everyone they met with, and then kill potential FBI informants and cooperating witnesses. The Justice Department Inspector General disclosed the incident in a June 2025 audit examining the FBI’s efforts to protect against technical surveillance.
During an era marked by heightened security risks, and even assassination attempts, a more seamless, impenetrable network enables agencies to scale coverage by adding cameras at key points, like stairwells, rooftops, and other vulnerable areas.
In scenarios where comprehensive, connected surveillance systems are in place, including ground-based cameras and aerial drones, potential threats can be detected and contained before they escalate, helping prevent the types of tragic breaches that have recently shaken public confidence in event security.
The Solution: Cryptographic Independence
Active Security’s approach treats each camera as cryptographically independent and defense-grade encryption. Breaking into one device gives you access to that single camera feed, nothing more. There’s no master network to infiltrate, no cascade of compromised devices, no blueprint of the entire security operation handed to attackers.
The system has been tested where it matters most. Across multiple major political events, Active Security connected more than 50 devices across cellular, satellite, and fiber networks, streaming high-definition video in real time with full encryption. The system handled massive crowds, adapted when networks got congested, and delivered the reliable performance onsite and off-site security teams require when protecting thousands of people.
“We were pleased to be able to help Active Security deliver mission-critical video workflows with zero disruption,” said Angelo Rodriguez, SVP of Operations at ZeroTier. “Active Security’s deep expertise in physical security integration combined with ZeroTier’s leading platform creates a powerful solution for any organization requiring secure, scalable connectivity.”
When Failure Isn’t an Option
Active Security protects events where failure means lives lost. National political conventions. Major party gatherings. Stadium-scale events broadcast to millions. These aren’t situations where you get a second chance if the security system fails.
The partnership between Active Security and ZeroTier demonstrates what’s possible when defense-grade security meets modern networking technology. Walt Hasser, president of Active Security and former Marine sniper, understands the stakes better than most. Adam Ierymenko, founder of ZeroTier, built the platform that makes it work.
Together, they’ve created something that didn’t exist before: surveillance infrastructure that maintains its protective value even when individual components are compromised.
“At ZeroTier, our mission has always been to make secure, resilient connectivity effortless, even under the most demanding conditions,” ZeroTier’s Rodriguez said. “Active Security operates in environments where failure is not an option. This partnership proves that distributed, software-defined networks can deliver the reliability and speed needed to protect people when it matters most. It’s a perfect example of technology serving a higher purpose, enabling safety, trust, and operational excellence at any scale.”
Beyond Political Events
The same challenges Active Security solved at stadium-level political events exist across critical infrastructure. Cities deploying thousands of cameras need systems that won’t collapse if one device is breached. Emergency response teams need reliable video that works across different network types. Any organisation running surveillance at scale faces the same question: How do you build “eyes everywhere” protection without creating a single point of catastrophic failure?
Research found more than 40,000 cameras streaming unprotected video online this summer.
Major cities operate hundreds of thousands of cameras on networks originally designed without modern security threats in mind. London has roughly a million surveillance cameras. New York has tens of thousands. Most operate on conventional architectures that Active Security determined couldn’t meet their security requirements.
The solution proven at major political events is now available for smart cities, emergency coordination, and critical infrastructure monitoring. Rather than accepting surveillance networks as inherently vulnerable, organisations can deploy systems architected for the threats that exist today.
Active Security’s public disclosure of its approach represents something new: a defense contractor trusted with protecting nationally televised political events sharing how it architects security systems to resist the kind of infiltration that makes headlines.
The cameras protecting some of America’s largest political gatherings now operate on infrastructure where breaching one device doesn’t compromise the mission. That same architecture can protect the surveillance systems cities are deploying at unprecedented scale.
When assassination attempts are a real concern and “eyes everywhere” security is essential, the network connecting those eyes matters as much as the cameras themselves. Active Security and ZeroTier proved it works where the stakes are highest. Now they’re making it available to everyone facing similar challenges.
