Automotive security is now part of public dialog, with researchers continuing to investigate, media outlets reporting, and even United States Senators voicing concern over vehicle security. The first portion of this presentation will give insight into the current state of automotive security by showing how it stacks up against software security of 10+ years ago. The last portion of talk will attempt to convince more researchers to enter the automotive security arena by showing how to get started tools and techniques while fielding questions from the audience. As always, make sure to stay until the end for a special bit of information.
Christopher Valasek serves as Director Vehicle Security Research at IOActive, an industry leader in comprehensive computer security services. In this role, Valasek is responsible for guiding IOActive’s vehicle security research efforts. He is also heavily involved in bleeding-edge automotive security research. Valasek specializes in offensive research methodologies with a focus on reverse engineering and exploitation. Known for his extensive automotive field research, Valasek was one of the first researchers to discuss automotive security issues in detail. His release of a library to physically control vehicles through the CAN bus garnered worldwide media attention. Valasek is also known for his exploitation and reverse engineering of Microsoft® Windows. As a Windows security subject matter expert, he is quoted in several technology publications and has given presentations on the subject at a number of conferences. He is also the Chairman of SummerCon, the oldest US hacker conference.