EXCLUSIVE: Secrets of Kim Kardashian's $12Million-a-Year 'Presidential' Security Set-Up in Wake of Harrowing 'Grandpa Gang' Gunpoint Jewelry Heist

Kim Kardashian arrived at the Palais de Justice in Paris earlier this month in full glam mode, dripping in diamonds and cloaked in confidence.

"It’s something I've had to live with every day," the 43-year-old said – also declaring: "But I'm not going to live in fear."

RadarOnline.com can now reveal she has good reason to refuse to be scared anymore – a massive security upheaval that has changed her life forever.

Kardashian's Paris visit marked a pivotal moment for the reality TV veteran, who faced the men convicted of binding, gagging, and robbing her at gunpoint in a luxury hotel room in the French capital during Fashion Week in 2016.

Eight of the 10 who faced trial – members of the so-called 'Grandpa Gang' due to some of their ages – were found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping.

Insiders have now told us Kardashian's entire approach to personal safety has been overhauled in the years since her terrifying night being targeted by the heist thugs.

"Kim doesn’t go anywhere without her full team now," said a longtime family friend of the star. "We're talking former intelligence guys, ex-military – it's like a presidential-level detail."

In 2016, Kardashian's lone bodyguard Pascal Duvier was reportedly guarding her sisters Kourtney and Kendall at a nightclub when masked men entered the Hôtel de Pourtalès and tied up the reality star, making off with nearly $10million in jewelry.

"She was completely exposed," said a former security consultant who now advises A-list clientele. "No real plan, no backup, no secured perimeter – she was a sitting duck."

These days, that set-up is ancient history.

Kardashian's current security protocol is said to involve armored transport, multiple decoys, advance reconnaissance teams, and vetting of all staff and locations – at a reported cost of up to $12million a year.

A source close to Kardashian said: "She's built a fortress around her life. After what happened, there was no way she was ever going to allow that kind of vulnerability again. It completely changed the game."

The heist – which unfolded in the early hours of October 3, 2016 – was allegedly aided by a leak from within Kardashian's circle.

Suspicion at the time swirled around her then-driver Michael Madar and his brother Gary, but both denied wrongdoing and were eventually cleared.

"It was terrifying," Kardashian later recalled about her ordeal in a television interview. "They duct-taped my hands, my eyes, my mouth. I thought they were going to kill me."

Former BRB officer Marc Salahi, who was involved in the investigation, said: "They exploited a soft target. That hotel had no working CCTV, no real access control – and she was posting her every move online."

Kardashian's Snapchat activity in the lead-up to the robbery is believed to have played a major role in how the gang tracked her movements.

She posted from inside the hotel, flaunting a $4million diamond ring just hours before the attack.

"She handed them the blueprint," said one fashion insider who worked with Kardashian during Paris Fashion Week. "They didn't even have to break a sweat – she showed them exactly where to go and what to take."

Security expert Simon Morgan added: "You’re dealing with someone whose every step is shadowed online. If that's not locked down, it becomes a risk profile."

Sources now say Kardashian’s security is so tight even close friends have to go through background checks before being allowed near her.

"There's a rulebook now," said the insider, adding: "And if you're not following it, you're not getting in."