A Real-Time Approach to Autonomous CAN Bus Reverse Engineering

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Setterstrom, Kevin, Straub, Jeremy
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Setterstrom, Kevin
Straub, Jeremy
author_facet Setterstrom, Kevin
Straub, Jeremy
contents This paper introduces a real-time method for reverse engineering a vehicle's CAN bus without prior knowledge of the vehicle or its CAN system. By comparing inertial measurement and CAN data during significant vehicle events, the method accurately identified the CAN channels associated with the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and steering wheel. Utilizing an IMU, CAN module, and event-driven software architecture, the system was validated using prerecorded serialized data from previous studies. This data, collected during multiple vehicle drives, included synchronized IMU and CAN recordings. By using these consistent datasets, the improvements made in this work were tested and validated under the same conditions as in the previous studies, enabling direct comparison to earlier results. Faster processing times were produced and less computational power was needed, as compared to the earlier methods. This work could have potential application to making aftermarket autonomous vehicle kits and for cybersecurity applications. It is a scalable and adaptable solution for autonomous CAN reverse engineering in near real-time.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_16722
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Real-Time Approach to Autonomous CAN Bus Reverse Engineering
Setterstrom, Kevin
Straub, Jeremy
Cryptography and Security
This paper introduces a real-time method for reverse engineering a vehicle's CAN bus without prior knowledge of the vehicle or its CAN system. By comparing inertial measurement and CAN data during significant vehicle events, the method accurately identified the CAN channels associated with the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and steering wheel. Utilizing an IMU, CAN module, and event-driven software architecture, the system was validated using prerecorded serialized data from previous studies. This data, collected during multiple vehicle drives, included synchronized IMU and CAN recordings. By using these consistent datasets, the improvements made in this work were tested and validated under the same conditions as in the previous studies, enabling direct comparison to earlier results. Faster processing times were produced and less computational power was needed, as compared to the earlier methods. This work could have potential application to making aftermarket autonomous vehicle kits and for cybersecurity applications. It is a scalable and adaptable solution for autonomous CAN reverse engineering in near real-time.
title A Real-Time Approach to Autonomous CAN Bus Reverse Engineering
topic Cryptography and Security
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.16722