# Caring Caribou

> Python automotive security exploration tool, begun in the HEAVENS research project, that the README describes as a zero-knowledge tool to drop onto a CAN network and collect information about the services present. Passive modules dump CAN traffic to the terminal or a candump-format file and list every arbitration ID seen on the bus, while the UDS (ISO 14229-1), DoIP (ISO 13400-2) and XCP modules discover ECUs that answer diagnostic requests, enumerate their supported services and subservices, read data identifiers and query XCP capabilities. Its utilities provide reusable ISO-TP (ISO 15765-2) and UDS implementations, and new modules plug into a drop-in module architecture.

- Type: Tool
- Targets: Protocol
- Category: Protocol analysis tools
- Relationship: Foundation tool
- Sources reviewed: 2026-10-19
- Added to the catalog: 2026-10-31
- Original resource: <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/caringcaribou/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/caringcaribou/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/caringcaribou/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- Latest GitHub release at review: 0.6, published 2024-03-28; the reviewed master commit is 45 commits ahead and its packaging already reports 0.7. The README installs it from the source tree; PyPI had no caringcaribou project at review.
- Needs a CAN interface supported by python-can and configured in python-can's .canrc file. The install guide uses a PEAK PCAN-USB adapter with SocketCAN on Linux (kernel 3.4 or newer there, while the README asks for a pretty modern kernel) and suggests a Linux VM on Windows. The README requires Python 3.7+; the DoIP module also needs the doipclient and udsoncan packages.
- Discovery and service scans transmit diagnostic requests on the connected bus or network. Other modules send, replay or fuzz frames and perform intrusive diagnostic operations.
- GPL-3.0. The bundled unit tests run against mock ECUs on a virtual CAN bus.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/README.md>
2. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/documentation/howtoinstall.md>
3. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/documentation/howtouse.md>
4. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/documentation/dump.md>
5. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/documentation/listener.md>
6. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/documentation/uds.md>
7. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/documentation/doip.md>
8. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/documentation/xcp.md>
9. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/pyproject.toml>
10. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/caringcaribou/tests/mock/mock_ecu.py>
11. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/blob/092eff3c2c95bb7952a2a92ac12b6c1c29035b70/LICENSE>
12. <https://github.com/CaringCaribou/caringcaribou/releases/tag/0.6>

## More in Protocols

- [protodump](https://awesomerea.org/resources/protodump/index.md) · Tool
- [CAN Commander](https://awesomerea.org/resources/can-commander/index.md) · Tool
- [Automated CAN Payload Reverse Engineering](https://awesomerea.org/resources/can-reverse-engineering/index.md) · Tool
- [Deluder](https://awesomerea.org/resources/deluder/index.md) · Tool
- [PiCCANTE](https://awesomerea.org/resources/piccante/index.md) · Tool
- [VanBus](https://awesomerea.org/resources/vanbus/index.md) · Tool

## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.