Topic: Can Bus

An anonymous donor provides technical details on how vehicle "black boxes" (airbag computers) function as event data recorders. The donor warns that upcoming 2020-2021 smog regulations will require all vehicle computers to remain untouched, effectively banning aftermarket tuning products. They mention new "rolling rainbow encryption" that will prevent unauthorized software modifications and could eventually be used to issue retroactive speeding tickets.

The hosts present research from the University of California San Diego regarding the vulnerability of modern cars to remote hacking. Researchers demonstrated that they could disable brakes and control acceleration via Bluetooth, cellular signals, or even a malicious CD. This technical context is used to support the possibility that Michael Hastings' car was remotely compromised before his crash.

A DARPA-related clip explains how the "CAN bus" in modern vehicles allows software to control steering, braking, and acceleration. The hosts revisit the 2009-2011 Toyota "unintended acceleration" crisis, suggesting it may have been a "test run" for car-hacking technology or a government extortion scheme rather than a simple floor mat issue.