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# ROOTCON19 2025: Car Hacking Village Crew
**Event:** ROOTCON 19\
**Event Date:** September 24–26, 2025\
**Role:** Crew, Car Hacking Village\
**Focus:** Automotive Security, Vehicle Networks, EV Charging Systems, Fault Injection, RAMN
I joined the Car Hacking Village crew at ROOTCON 19, where our goal was simple: make automotive security tangible for con-goers, whether they were completely new to the field or already working in it.
Throughout the event, we introduced attendees to the tools commonly used in automotive security research, covering both the hardware and software used to interact with vehicle systems and networks. From there, we explored CAN bus fundamentals and demonstrated how CAN-based attacks work in practice through live, hands-on demonstrations rather than slides alone.
One of the highlights of the village was working with **RAMN (Resistant Automotive Miniature Network)**, an open-source platform designed for automotive security research and training. RAMN provided attendees with an accessible environment to experiment with vehicle networking concepts and better understand how different automotive components communicate.
In addition to CAN bus demonstrations, we showcased security research involving **electric vehicle (EV) charging systems**, highlighting how charging infrastructure introduces its own unique attack surface and security considerations. We also demonstrated **fault injection techniques**, providing attendees with an introduction to how hardware manipulation can be used to influence system behavior and why these techniques are relevant in embedded and automotive security research.
To reinforce the concepts covered throughout the village, we ran a **Capture The Flag (CTF) challenge**, giving participants an opportunity to apply what they had learned in a hands-on environment. It was rewarding to watch attendees move from observing demonstrations to actively solving challenges on their own.
Being part of a village crew is a very different experience from giving a conference talk. Rather than presenting for a single session, it involves spending several days engaging with attendees, answering questions, troubleshooting demo setups, resetting hardware, and having countless one-on-one conversations. Watching someone go from "I didn't know cars worked like this" to genuinely interested in automotive security is what makes these community spaces so valuable.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Car Hacking Village crew and to contribute alongside an incredible team. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, asked questions, participated in the demonstrations, and took on the CTF challenge. Events like these continue to show how much curiosity and interest there is in automotive security, and why sharing knowledge with the community matters.
