Automotive Cybersecurity is an increasingly important field as modern vehicles rely on interconnected electronic systems and internal communication networks. This course provides a structured introduction to vehicle communication, the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol and practical tools used to examine CAN traffic in controlled, authorised environments. It is designed to build technical understanding of how data moves between vehicle components and how communication behaviour can be analysed.

The course begins with the foundations of parallel and serial communication, helping learners understand essential concepts before progressing to CAN technology. Learners explore the basic operation and implementation of the CAN protocol, including data frames, network nodes, CAN Bus transmission and remote frames. This foundation supports a clearer understanding of how electronic control systems exchange information within vehicles.

The next stage introduces the CAN-UTILS framework and its role in working with CAN communication. Learners explore installation, virtual CAN interfaces and commonly used tools before applying these concepts within a virtual car simulation environment. This controlled setting provides opportunities to observe CAN frames, examine recorded traffic and study methods for identifying relevant messages.

Practical exercises introduce techniques for analysing vehicle communication, including frame dumping, traffic replay in a simulated environment, recursive splitting, CAN sniffing and sending specific frames for testing purposes. These activities are presented within the context of legitimate learning, laboratory practice and authorised security assessment.

The course then bridges simulation and physical systems by introducing the hardware required for vehicle communication. Learners explore Arduino fundamentals, the process of creating a CAN communication device, preparing supporting code and connecting suitable hardware to a real vehicle in an authorised testing environment.

By completing the course, learners can develop a stronger understanding of CAN Bus architecture, vehicle network traffic and practical communication analysis. This foundation can support continued study in automotive security, embedded systems and connected vehicle technologies. All testing should be performed only on systems you own or have explicit permission to assess.