Banking Security Exploited as Criminals Use USB Ports to Rob ATMs Running Windows XP

Ethan · January 2, 2014

Automated Teller Machines, better known as ATMs or Cash points, have been targets for criminals pretty much since they were first introduced in the 1960s. Usually thieves use violence to get the cash from them, via either waiting to steal from people using them or by simply blowing them up and making a getaway with the cash. ATM crime has gone hi-tech, however, as it has been revealed that criminals are inserting viruses and malware into them via USB drives.

Although specific details concerning banks or even countries targeted have not been revealed, it has been widely known that cyber criminals have in the past few years tried to use technology to gain cash and client information from ATMs in Australia and America. It is unlikely however, that any country that has ATMs in public hasn’t had someone try.

Information released suggests that criminals are cutting in to ATM casings and inserting a USB with auto-loading viruses and malware on it. This is something made easier by the fact that the majority of banks in the world are still running on Windows XP.

Despite technical support due to end for XP in early 2014, most financial institutions have not yet upgraded their software to run on Windows 7 or 8. A similar problem occurred just over a decade ago when most banks were not prepared for the DOS-free environment of XP.

Most with a knowledge of banking security will be surprised to learn that USB ports are even present on an ATM, let alone operative. In the overwhelming majority of areas inside any reputable bank, the PCs have either no USB ports or ports that are disabled in order to avoid this kind of attack from within the bank.

Why such a vulnerable point where people can access money from would, in the light of this, have active USB ports is unknown, but is presumably related to the general operations of the ATM machines. In the face of criminals using this as a point of attack, no doubt banks will be reviewing the need for the USB ports inside the machines.