M440 Variable Electronic Barrage System

The M440 Variable Electronic Barrage System (abbreviated as M440 Variable EBS or M440 VEBS) was a specialized, nonstandard series of program and hardware suites used in tandem with other shipboard systems of the UNSC Navy. The system's primary purpose was to transmit a virus of sorts into an enemy vessel's electronic systems. From here, it would, in most cases, attempt to shut down various operating systems. Most accounts of its use detail attacks on life support systems, though weapons systems were also a common target.

History
A basic, prototypical version of the M440 was implemented on two UNSC Prowlers, the Greater Minority and Two in the Bush, in 2549. It was found that the parasitical intelligence (the virus program's official nomenclature) was often susceptible to extermination by the much more advanced Covenant artificial intelligences, although it was able to successfully tap into and manipulate Jiralhanae and Kig Yar vessels, which were often granted a basic AI, if any at all.

The first full service variant of the VEBS was unveiled in the late 2550s and was subsequently installed on twenty-one vessels. The final iteration was released during the early 2570s, just in time for the United Nations Space Command's mass rearmament.