Wikileaks latest publication of CIA documents from their Vault 7 archive is unlike any other they've released so far. Instead of the usual documentation outlining the agencies malware and hacking capabilities this release describes in detail the design and development of the CIA's very own Missile control system.

Developed by Raytheon, one of a largest U.S. defense contractor, and code-named Protego, this project uses Microchip Technology Inc software and hardware and is a Peripheral Interface Controller (PIC) based missile control system used on-board certain types of Pratt & Whitney (PWA) aircrafts that are equipped with air-to-air and air-to-ground missile launch systems.

PIC is a family of microcontrollers made by Microchip Technology, derived from the PIC1650 originally developed by General Instrument's Microelectronics Division. The name PIC initially referred to Peripheral Interface Controller. The first parts of the family were available in 1976; by 2013 the company had shipped more than twelve billion individual parts, used in a wide variety of embedded systems.

The leaked documents outline the systems technical design and includes a guide on how to configure and build Protego images. They also reveal that all the micro-controller units use encrypted and authenticated channels to send and receive its data and signals. The Protego missile system consists of several separate micro-controller units both on board the aircraft and on the missile itself:

On-board micro-controllers:

• Master Processor (MP)
• Deployment Box

Missile micro-controllers:

• Missile Smart Switch (MSS),
• The tube (Tube Smart Switch - TSS)
• The collar (holds missile before and at launch time).

^Source

Missiles can only be launched once the on-board Master Processor unit receives and verifies all 3 of these beacon signals:

• In Border (PWA is within the defined area of an operation)
• Valid GPS (GPS signal available)
• No End of Operational Period (current time is within the defined timeframe for an operation)

Similar safeguards are in place to auto-destruct encryption and authentication keys in the event of a missile falling into enemy hands, goes missing, or leaves a target area of operation.

Searching for the word Protego brings up a lot of Harry Potter references which involve some sort of magical shield charm used to defend a person or place against physical and magical attacks. If this is actually what it is named after then there could be a possibly this missile system would be used to defend some kind of secret government facility or base. A second Harry Potter reference, Devil Snare, appears in one of the documents relating to generating keys for the system.

Considering this is a missile control system we are talking about here that potentially kills real people I personally find these fictional Harry Potter references to be quite immature and very out of touch. The last time I checked the CIA was an intelligence service so as for why they are developing missile control systems sure is a curious one. The only thing I can think of right now is for the further development of their drones.

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