RESTON – October 29, 2026 -- SpiderOak has been accepted into the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU) Blue UAS Recognized Assessor Program, authorizing the zero-trust cybersecurity provider to evaluate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and related ground control platforms against US Government requirements under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
SpiderOak and Ridgeline International build a joint assessor team
SpiderOak will run the evaluations through its recently launched Tactical Edge Cyberservices. Partner Ridgeline International will handle UAS hardware penetration testing, reverse engineering assessments and subcomponent supply chain forensics, including country-of-origin vulnerability analysis.
ACTRA assessments cover hardware, firmware, software and ownership structures
Under the Blue UAS initiative, SpiderOak's Advanced Cyber Threat & Resilience Assessments (ACTRA) will deliver independent evaluations of UAS hardware, firmware, software, supply chain provenance and ownership structures. The assessments target compliance with NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53 and Executive Order 14028.
SpiderOak CEO Kip Gering said cyber resilience for UAS is "no longer optional—it is a mission requirement."
Third-party evaluations feed DIU's Blue UAS Cleared List decisions
Recognized Assessors conduct third-party evaluations that inform DIU's certification decisions for the Blue UAS Cleared List. SpiderOak's participation is intended to speed up vetting and widen access to compliant UAS for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and other defense missions.
The company also plans to apply its space and aerospace cybersecurity experience to the command, control and telemetry links that UAS depend on in contested environments.