Hacking the Family Car

By Ann Grove

Do you want to learn how to hack into the family vehicle aka "hack a two-ton computer"? Check out The Car Hacker's Handbook by Craig Smith, author, and Dave Blundell, contributing author. 

I love the focus on DIY/low-cost hacking, which makes the concepts accessible. The book covers using open source tools and building an ECU test bench. 

As Brian Benchoff at Hackaday explains, "This is a guide on how to reverse engineer, exploit, and modify any kind of embedded system; cars are just the example. Craig presents this in a way that is eminently comprehensible and spends enough time reinforcing the idea of hacking a car safely, legally, and ethically. It’s a great read, an excellent introduction to fiddling with embedded bits, and truly owning the devices you’ve already purchased."