WikiLeaks
Today,
September 7th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes four secret documents from
the Protego project of the CIA, along with 37 related documents
(proprietary hardware/software manuals from Microchip Technology
Inc.). The project was maintained between 2014 and 2015.
Protego is
not the "usual" malware development project like all
previous publications by WikiLeaks in the Vault7 series. Indeed there
is no explicit indication why it is part of the project repositories
of the CIA/EDG at all.
The Protego
project is a PIC-based missile control system that was developed by
Raytheon. The documents indicate that the system is installed
on-board a Pratt & Whitney aircraft (PWA) equipped with missile
launch systems (air-to-air and/or air-to-ground).
Protego
consists of separate micro-controller units that exchange data and
signals over encrypted and authenticated channels:
»
On-board TWA are the 'Master Processor' (MP) and the 'Deployment
Box'. Both systems are layed-out with master/slave redundancy.
» The
missle system has micro-controllers for the missle itself ('Missle
Smart Switch', MSS), the tube ('Tube Smart Switch', TSS) and the
collar (which holds the missile before and at launch time).
The MP unit
receives three signals from a beacon: 'In Border' (PWA is within the
defined area of an operation), 'Valid GPS' (GPS signal available) and
'No End of Operational Period' (current time is within the defined
timeframe for an operation). Missiles can only be launched if all
signals received by MP are set to 'true'. Similary safeguards are in
place to auto-destruct encryption and authentication keys for various
scenarios (like 'leaving a target area of operation' or 'missing
missle').
Documents:
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