Assail Debuts Federal Unit for Autonomous Cybersecurity
A new division aims to help U.S. national security agencies test defenses against automated cyber threats using artificial intelligence.
- By Chelsey Arries
- Oct 27, 2026
Assail Inc. established a dedicated government subsidiary focused on providing automated offensive security tools to federal defense and intelligence agencies.
The arm, Assail Federal Inc., assists public sector organizations confronting advanced, machine-driven digital intrusions. It provides agencies with access to specialized infrastructure, compliance measures and the company's autonomous penetration-testing system, known as Reaper.
Federal agencies typically evaluate network defenses through scheduled assessments and periodic audits. Automated testing simulates real-world intrusion tactics continuously, identifying how threat actors combine system weaknesses to breach perimeters.
Alissa Knight, founder and chief executive officer of Assail Inc., also leads the federal unit. She noted that government defensive teams face adversaries that do not wait for annual assessments, making offensive validation essential for testing whether controls can actually stop an intrusion.
The platform models potential attack paths across cloud-based and disconnected networks, offering network defenders data to verify zero-trust configurations and prioritize critical software patches.
Alongside the launch, the unit introduced a dedicated federal portal detailing its tooling and public sector operations.
About the Author
Chelsey Arries is assistant editor of Security Today, Campus Security Today, Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.