Duo Tech Talks: Adventures in Automotive Networks and Control Units

Hey, it's the first Duo Tech Talk! Welcome engineers and technologists in the Ann Arbor and SE Michigan. Whether you are a hands-on software engineer, l33t hax0r, or a person just interested in advanced technologies, Duo Tech Talks is for you!

Hosted monthly at Duo Security's Ann Arbor office, these talks will cover a variety of topics of strong interest to the local technology community. Speakers will be enlisted both from the local community and subject matter experts from across the country.

Topics will range across the spectrum of computer science and technology, including software engineering, hardware hacking, user experience design, cloud computing, programming languages, computer security, and more!

If you have recommendations for future topics, speaker suggestions, or feedback for the organizers, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

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For the first meetup, our friend and distinguished hacker, Chris Valasek, will be making an arduous journey from Pittsburgh up to Ann Arbor on Friday December 13th to speak on "Adventures in Automotive Networks and Control Units"...or in fewer words: car hacking! Come watch Chris take control of your vehicle and make it do funny/unsafe things!

The first meetup will take place at Duo's office at 617 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. Doors will open at 6pm and Chris will get started with his talk around 6:30pm. We have limited capacity so be sure to RSVP to reserve your spot immediately!

Talk abstract:

Automotive computers, or Electronic Control Units (ECU), were originally introduced to help with fuel efficiency and emissions problems of the 1970s but evolved into integral parts of in-car entertainment, safety controls, and enhanced automotive functionality. This presentation will examine some controls in two modern automobiles from a security researcher's point of view. We will first cover the requisite tools and software needed to analyze a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. Secondly, we will demo software to show how data can be read and written to the CAN bus. Then we will show how certain proprietary messages can be replayed by a device hooked up to an ODB-II connection to perform critical car functionality, such as braking and steering. Finally, we'll discuss aspects of reading and modifying the firmware of ECUs installed in today's modern automobile.

Speaker bio:

Chris Valasek (@nudehaberdasher) is the Director of Security Intelligence at IOActive, an industry leader that offers comprehensive computer security services, where he specializes in attack methodologies, reverse engineering and exploitation techniques. While widely regarded for his research on Windows heap exploitation, Valasek also regularly speaks on the security industry conference circuit on a variety of topics. His previous tenures include Coverity, Accuvant LABS and IBM/ISS. He is also the Chairman of SummerCon, the nation's oldest hacker conference. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Here's a video of Chris and Charlie messing with Carson Daly in Times Square on the Today Show:

http://www.today.com/video/today/52609500

Just look at these tough guys:

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