Protect unmanned aircraft and ground control systems from firmware tampering, remote takeover, and supply-chain threats.
Commercial and COTS drones evolve fast—and so do the threats around them. Attacks increasingly target firmware, radio links, ground control, and third-party components to disrupt missions or seize control.
Red Balloon Security helps UAS manufacturers and operators reduce risk across design, supply chain, and deployed systems with device-level security expertise that supports real-world readiness.
Low-cost accessories, payload kits, and add-on compute modules can turn hobby platforms into accurate, long-range threats. Firmware mods and aftermarket integrations may bypass safety controls, geofencing, and operator constraints—while “autonomy” features reduce the need for a skilled pilot.
UAS platforms often rely on third-party components—flight controllers, radios, sensors, SDKs, and companion apps—where provenance is difficult to verify. Hidden dependencies, vulnerable libraries, counterfeit parts, and unsigned firmware in subcomponents can introduce silent risk that survives product refreshes.
Ground control stations and operator devices are high-value targets. If the GCS is compromised, attackers may gain access to credentials, mission plans, radio configuration, or fleet management interfaces—enabling spoofing, command injection, or takeover at scale.
Drones are often deployed far longer than their software ecosystems were designed to support.
Legacy RTOS builds, end-of-life components, and limited patch windows create persistent exposure—especially when field updates are risky or operationally constrained.
Red Balloon Security focuses on the code and hardware inside unmanned systems and drones—where attackers increasingly operate—and brings proven embedded defenses to UAS fleets.
Threat-driven design reviews and architecture guidance for new or upgraded platforms.
Hardware and firmware assessments that show how real adversaries could compromise your aircraft and mission.
Runtime protection embedded into UAS and ground systems to detect and block attacks in real time.
Build security into your UAS and ground control architecture from day one. We identify weak points in your security model, validate assumptions, and recommend practical hardware/software controls that fit real deployment constraints.
Threat model + attack surface map (UAS + GCS)
Architecture review of trust boundaries & update flows
Security requirements and implementation roadmap
Design guidance that supports testing and accreditation
Our team assesses UAS components and ground control systems using hardware + firmware reverse engineering, from black-box to white-box, and documents mission impact—not just bugs.
Firmware static/dynamic analysis + exploitability review
Hardware and component integrity checks
Vulnerability findings with prioritized remediation
Executive-ready risk summary + technical report
Symbiote brings runtime protection directly into the firmware of UAS and ground control infrastructure. Instead of relying solely on network monitoring or perimeter tools, Symbiote monitors and hardens the code that actually runs your missions.
Watches firmware and critical processes for unauthorized changes and control-flow tampering.
Blocks malicious behavior, such as code injection or memory corruption, before it can compromise the mission.
Captures device-level artifacts that help you understand how an attack unfolded—without pulling devices out of service.
Integrates into new designs or select fielded platforms, with options tailored to your hardware, OS, and performance budget.
Contact Red Balloon Security to explore our suite of dynamic embedded security solutions and secure your critical hardware today.
Contact us to learn more about our advanced embedded security solutions or schedule a demonstration with our experts.
