Yes,I see a better and less complicated method of attack utilizing the same material,and NO,I will NOT comment on it.
As for "protection to prevent it",there ain't no such critter,other than luck. Granted,you make a lot of your own "luck" in the intelligence business by the way you conduct yourself and treat your assets,but even then there are no guarantees. The sooner people wake up to the fact that the government can NOT give them 100% protection for all harm,the better off everybody will be.
It will not give you much hope that the limp wristed PC analyst clones running CIA ops worldwide could find their rear ends with both hands, since they don't speak the languages, never leave the embassy rows, and consider getting down into the allies dirty, dangerous, and to be totally avoided at all costs.