# Boston Brakes - real or rumor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2013, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037 "2013-07-09T12:26:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![weef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@weef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weef)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/1 "2013-07-09T12:26:40Z")
I see where Boston Brakes are being mentioned in the suspicious car accident and death of Michael Hastings. I never heard about this technique and can’t find any credible explanation for how someone can hack into your car and control it. Are Boston Brakes a real concept and if so how does someone gain access and control a car? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/2 "2013-07-09T12:36:02Z")
A quick google search indicates that it’s complete bunkum. It’s a conspiracy theory about remote control car brakes of some sort, but there’s absolutely no evidence for the concept and lots against it. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/3 "2013-07-09T12:39:22Z")
After Googling both “Boston Brakes” and “Michael Hastings,” I am dubious in the extreme. It sounds like one of those 1990s thriller movies tropes where the bad guy controls \*everything \*by pushing three keys on his laptop. ---
**Author:** ![weef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@weef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weef)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/4 "2013-07-09T12:49:15Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > It sounds like one of those 1990s thriller movies tropes where the bad guy controls \*everything \*by pushing three keys on his laptop. Agree and with no credible technical explanation of how this could be accomplished it sounds like someone’s made up fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/5 "2013-07-09T12:51:10Z")
Well - If James Bond can drive a car at high speed round a car park, while laying on his back and using a smart phone…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/6 "2013-07-09T13:35:36Z")
More and more cars are controlled electronically. ABS is routine, and other sorts of fly-by-wire driving are becoming more common. so, this is going to become somewhat more plausible over time. Might take physically replacing a chip somewhere. But if you can hypothesize that sort of access, it get really creepy really fast. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/7 "2013-07-09T17:19:55Z")
A lot of cars have “fly-by-wire” systems controlling the brakes. Some cars I believe can tap the brake for you based on a little bumper-mounted radar to help prevent collisions. The unbelievable part is that someone can communicate with those systems remotely from outside the car. The systems in your car related to driving (i.e. not your bluetooth entertainment console) don’t communicate with the outside world. They don’t have antennas, and there’s no way to control them remotely. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/8 "2013-07-09T17:30:03Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > A lot of cars have “fly-by-wire” systems controlling the brakes. Some cars I believe can tap the brake for you based on a little bumper-mounted radar to help prevent collisions. > > The unbelievable part is that someone can communicate with those systems remotely from outside the car. The systems in your car related to driving (i.e. not your bluetooth entertainment console) don’t communicate with the outside world. They don’t have antennas, and there’s no way to control them remotely. As I understand it, the idea is that the Men in Black secretly attach a radio receiver to your car, with a control module wired into the car electronics. Then they can remotely hack into your car and make you crash in a fireball. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/9 "2013-07-09T17:35:43Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > As I understand it, the idea is that the Men in Black secretly attach a radio receiver to your car, with a control module wired into the car electronics. Then they can remotely hack into your car and make you crash in a fireball. At which point they enter the fiery wreck and retrieve their electronics without anybody noticing. It can’t fail! ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/10 "2013-07-09T17:38:55Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > A lot of cars have “fly-by-wire” systems controlling the brakes. Some cars I believe can tap the brake for you based on a little bumper-mounted radar to help prevent collisions. > > The unbelievable part is that someone can communicate with those systems remotely from outside the car. The systems in your car related to driving (i.e. not your bluetooth entertainment console) **don’t communicate with the outside world. They don’t have antennas, and there’s no way to control them remotely**. Sure. That’s just what THEY want you to think. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/11 "2013-07-09T18:21:11Z")
[An EETimes article that came in my email today is apropos.](http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1318838&itc=eetimes_sitedefault&elq=b2f666d92ea24aab8d13eb6847fbcca7&elqCampaignId=112) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/12 "2013-07-09T18:46:21Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > A lot of cars have “fly-by-wire” systems controlling the brakes. Some cars I believe can tap the brake for you based on a little bumper-mounted radar to help prevent collisions. > > The unbelievable part is that someone can communicate with those systems remotely from outside the car. The systems in your car related to driving (i.e. not your bluetooth entertainment console) don’t communicate with the outside world. They don’t have antennas, and there’s no way to control them remotely. I know some cars have drive by wire (that is, the gas pedal is connected to the engine via electronics), but the last I heard, and it was years ago, brake by wire wasn’t legal. It still had to have a physical connection. Has that changed? Are there cars where there’s no physical connection between the brake pedal and the master cylinder? I know there are cars where the computer can control/apply the brakes, but that’s different then brake by wire. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/13 "2013-07-09T19:43:34Z")
I have no idea what a “Boston brakes” is. Since the OP doesn’t seem to be interested in elaborating, would anyone else care to? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/14 "2013-07-09T19:54:18Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > [An EETimes article that came in my email today is apropos.](http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1318838&itc=eetimes_sitedefault&elq=b2f666d92ea24aab8d13eb6847fbcca7&elqCampaignId=112) Just read the article. I call bullshit at least on the cars I work on. Play an MP3 file and gain control of the telematics unit? Nope not happening. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/15 "2013-07-09T19:58:53Z")
This is all CT nonsense. You can’t take over the steering and brakes of a car like that. It’s also stupid, there are many easier ways to assasinate a person. For instance you can easily go into their ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/16 "2013-07-09T20:01:07Z")
Hello. This is Tirpolar. I have just decided to go out for a drive and i will not b typing messages hear anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/17 "2013-07-09T20:03:57Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Hello. This is Tirpolar. I have just decided to go out for a drive and i will not b typing messages hear anymore. Sounds legit. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/18 "2013-07-09T20:29:27Z")
Isn’t this like the 4th time this year **TriPolar** ’s cat has hacked his account? Just get the damned thing its own username already. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/19 "2013-07-09T20:36:01Z")
This just proves how inept the current administration is. They have someone killed in 2013 to prevent a story from coming out that makes them look bad. The story came out in 2010. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037/20 "2013-07-09T20:45:38Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > Isn’t this like the 4th time this year **TriPolar** ’s cat has hacked his account? Just get the damned thing its own username already. And cats aren’t trying to evolve opposable thumbs, no sir, no way… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-brakes-real-or-rumor/663037.md?page=2)