Hands-on car hacking & automotive cybersecurity
November 11th-12th, 2025 | Bucharest
As automobiles increase their reliance on advanced connectivity and autonomy systems, they become more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
This class introduces participants to car hacking with in-depth case studies of automotive security research and guided, hands-on activities to instill mastery in the use of automotive technologies such as CAN and diagnostic protocols such as UDS and XCP.
All hardware and software needed for the course is supplied by the instructor.
Why is this workshop relevant?
All vehicle network hardware will be lent by the instructor. The instructor will also share reference documents and pre-configured virtual machine images for use during the course ahead of time.
Uniquely, this Car Hacking Training utilizes both virtualized vehicle network environments AND real vehicle hardware. This includes hardware purchased on the aftermarket as well as vehicle parts retrieved directly from real vehicles, giving students the opportunity to interact with vehicle networks as they are used in real vehicle hardware.
In addition, several of the hardware modules incorporated into the course have been featured in the Automotive Pwn2Own competition from 2024 and 2025.
Workshop agenda
About the trainer
MOHAMMAD KAMEL GHALI
Kamel Ghali is an 8 year veteran of the automotive cybersecurity industry and the VP of international affairs of the Defcon Car Hacking Village. He has extensive cyber physical systems security experience and has worked as a vehicle penetration tester, security consultant, and trainer in the United States and Japan. He speaks fluent English, Arabic, and Japanese, and volunteers in cybersecurity communities around the world spreading awareness for the need for cybersecurity in transportation systems.
Who is it for?
The course is an intermediate course that assumes participants have moderate cybersecurity experience, but no specific experience with automotive cybersecurity or hacking vehicle systems.
Suggested participants include:
- Amateur Car Hackers
- Automotive Industry Professionals
- Law Enforcement Officers
- Government Agency Officials
- Hardware Security Researchers
- Academics
Key learning objectives:
✔ In-depth details of the automotive cybersecurity industry and car hacking incidents from the past
✔ In-depth understanding of vehicle attack surfaces and how they have been exploited by researchers in the past, including in-depth case studies
✔ Details of in-vehicle networking technologies used in the automotive industry and how they have been used to hack vehicles
✔ Hands-on operation of CAN bus networking equipment to hack cars including:
- Reading CAN bus data
- Sending CAN bus data
- Reverse engineering CAN bus data
- Executing attacks on a vehicle CAN bus
- Using vehicle diagnostic protocols to read and write information to vehicle ECUs
Other information & prerequisites
- Linux Command Line Experience
- Bash Scripting Experience
- Digital Signaling Understanding
- Binary Algebra/Operations Understanding
Technical requirements for attendees:
Students should bring a laptop computer with the following characteristics:
- Virtualization Enabled
- VMWare or Oracle VirtualBox Installed
- At least one USB-A port available
Estimated Workshop Duration: 2 days
Language of Instruction: English
Participation fee: EUR 600
FAQs
If we do not meet the minimum number of participants, you can either transfer to another workshop and pay or receive a refund for any difference in price, or opt for a full refund. You will be notified in advance and given options to choose what works best for you.
The workshop price covers food. However, accommodation is not included, but we can recommend nearby options for your convenience.
Yes, full refunds are available up to 15 days before the workshop start date. However, if you cancel after that, we can offer only 50% of the price.
You will receive an email with all the necessary details, including the workshop location, prerequisites, and schedule, at least one week before the event. If you have any immediate questions, feel free to reach out to us directly.