No Starch Press has announced that it will be publishing “The Car Hacker’s Handbook” in March 2016, the first book of its kind to take an in-depth look at the computer-based systems in modern cars that make them vulnerable to attack and exploitation.
Modern vehicles can be attacked in countless ways – attackers can remotely stop moving cars, open locked doors and even take control of the steering. Connected cars are becoming increasingly intelligent, but their security is too often an afterthought. The Car Hacker’s Handbook will address how to:
- Write Metasploit payloads to attack the infotainment system and take control of a vehicle’s engine, steering, brakes, temperature control and door locks
- Reverse engineer the CAN bus – the network that communicates critical information like braking, RPM and door locking
- Hack the ECU (engine control unit) to access or modify it
- Feed exploits to a vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems
- Override factory settings to improve engine performance
The Car Hacker’s Handbook is a technical guide for anyone interested in cybersecurity or modifying vehicles, and a wake-up call for car manufacturers.
“I’m excited to release this book because the topic affects all of us,” said No Starch Press Founder Bill Pollock. “Modern cars are basically unprotected networks that weigh thousands of pounds and travel at 80 mph. And the attack surface is astounding.”
Added Author Craig Smith, “Car hacking allows you to assess the security risks of the vehicle you and your family ride in every day. The information in my book can be used to understand the undocumented inner workings of modern vehicles and communicate your findings with car manufacturers, which will make us all more secure.”
