A British woman has been given a police caution for attacking a Barclays ATM with her high-heeled shoe. The attack took place in shortly after midnight on Saturday 2nd July 2011 in Chippenham, in the County of Wiltshire.
According to The Telegraph the attack left both the key pad and the screen out of order.
"This was a completely senseless and inane act which caused sufficient damage to make the machine unusable for other customers," said Detective Constable Richard Gardner of Wiltshire Police.
Finextra has reported that, after being interviewed last week, the woman has now been given a conditional caution. She has also re-paid the bank for damage caused to the ATM key pad and screen.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Now you can print out an ATM skimming device!
According to the blog 'KrebsonSecurity' a gang involved in skimming in the U.S. stole more than US$400,000 using skimming devices built with the help of high-tech 3D printers. Is it possible to print out a workable skimming device?? Apparently it is. 3D printers take two dimensional computer images and build them into three dimensional items by putting down successive layers of powder that are heated, shaped and hardened. The video below from 3D printing company i-materialise clearly shows how this is done.
According to Brian Krebs "word is spreading in the cybercrime underworld that 3D printers produce flawless skimmer devices with exacting precision. Last year, i-materialise blogged about receiving a clients order for building a card skimmer. The company said it denied the request when it became clear the ordered product was a fraud device."
Apparently a Federal court case is on-going in the U.S. with four men on trial for re-investing the profits from skimming crime to purchase a 3D printer. These printers are not cheap and can cost from US$10,000 to US$20,000.
Blog view: While this does appear to be one way to get a skimming device, the 3D printing technology is not cheap. It is known that basic skimming devices can be obtained over the internet for just a few hundred US dollars, with more expensive USB, Bluetooth or GSM variants available for a wide variety of ATM models and types (these are in the approximate price range of US$2,500 to US$4,000 and kits are also available that include PIN pads and some blank cards). Why would a criminal invest in such a piece of expensive 3D technology (which might not always create a perfect device and would always be at risk of seizure), when the ready made items can be easily purchased? There must also be costs associated with designing each skimming device variant and with putting together the required two-dimensional drawings. But for those illegally selling skimmers this might be a new way to produce them................
According to Brian Krebs "word is spreading in the cybercrime underworld that 3D printers produce flawless skimmer devices with exacting precision. Last year, i-materialise blogged about receiving a clients order for building a card skimmer. The company said it denied the request when it became clear the ordered product was a fraud device."
Apparently a Federal court case is on-going in the U.S. with four men on trial for re-investing the profits from skimming crime to purchase a 3D printer. These printers are not cheap and can cost from US$10,000 to US$20,000.
Blog view: While this does appear to be one way to get a skimming device, the 3D printing technology is not cheap. It is known that basic skimming devices can be obtained over the internet for just a few hundred US dollars, with more expensive USB, Bluetooth or GSM variants available for a wide variety of ATM models and types (these are in the approximate price range of US$2,500 to US$4,000 and kits are also available that include PIN pads and some blank cards). Why would a criminal invest in such a piece of expensive 3D technology (which might not always create a perfect device and would always be at risk of seizure), when the ready made items can be easily purchased? There must also be costs associated with designing each skimming device variant and with putting together the required two-dimensional drawings. But for those illegally selling skimmers this might be a new way to produce them................
Friday, 9 September 2011
U.S. based ATMs will have to take EMV cards by 19 April 2013
In my blog last month The U.S. moves towards EMV! Visa announces plans.... I finished with the question " I wonder when we will see a similar announcement from other card schemes?" Now MasterCard has entered the arena. According to an article in the Credit Union Times, MasterCard Worldwide spokesperson Seth Eisen has said that "U.S.-based ATMs will have to take EMV cards as of April 19, 2013." It is stated that he offered additional clarification in an email:
“On September 1, MasterCard announced it will extend its existing EMV liability shift program for inter-regional Maestro ATM transactions, as part of an effort to align technology efforts to prevent and manage fraud.............The liability shift will cover both the United States and Asia-Pacific regions and will be effective on April 19, 2013, with the exception of Australia and New Zealand, where the liability shift will become effective on December 31, 2015. South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka) will continue to be excluded from the inter-regional ATM EMV liability shift program. It should be noted that liability shift already applies for Europe, Canada and the Middle East and Africa and will be completed for Latin America by end of October 2012.”
“On September 1, MasterCard announced it will extend its existing EMV liability shift program for inter-regional Maestro ATM transactions, as part of an effort to align technology efforts to prevent and manage fraud.............The liability shift will cover both the United States and Asia-Pacific regions and will be effective on April 19, 2013, with the exception of Australia and New Zealand, where the liability shift will become effective on December 31, 2015. South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka) will continue to be excluded from the inter-regional ATM EMV liability shift program. It should be noted that liability shift already applies for Europe, Canada and the Middle East and Africa and will be completed for Latin America by end of October 2012.”
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Hacking attack leads to US$13 million in ATM losses....
Last week the blog 'KrebsOnSecurity' reported that U.S. based Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) had incurred a loss of of approximately US$13 million related to unauthorised activities involving one client and 22 prepaid cards. While the attack took place in March, it has been largely unreported in the media and full details of the resultant investigation have not yet been released.
Apparently the balances on these prepaid cards aren’t stored on the cards themselves; rather the card numbers correspond to records in a central database, where the balances are recorded. Some prepaid cards cannot be used once their balance has been exhausted, but the prepaid cards used in this attack could be replenished by adding funds.
Apparently the balances on these prepaid cards aren’t stored on the cards themselves; rather the card numbers correspond to records in a central database, where the balances are recorded. Some prepaid cards cannot be used once their balance has been exhausted, but the prepaid cards used in this attack could be replenished by adding funds.
ATM cassette standardisation for Europe? The debate has started........
Since my first blog on this topic ATM Marketplace has published interviews that highlight each side of the argument.
In the first interview EPC Chairman Gerard Hartsink talks about the benefits of standardization, and why there is no need for manufacturers and cash-in-transit companies to complain.
In the second interview Aleksandra Lubavs, director of EMEA marketing, communications and strategy for Diebold highlights the disadvantages and states that this is a short-sighted approach in terms of total cash optimization and elimination of cost within the retail banking self-service market. The expectation is that adopting this approach would inevitably lead to hidden costs. There are clear benefits for the CIT industry though.........and I wonder why Mr Hartsink thinks that they might want to complain?
I go with the second view and reiterate what I said in my first blog - any final decision on this in Europe needs to be taken by the ATM deployers and not by their suppliers! I wonder if the position of the EPC accurately reflects the opinion of the majority of the European ATM deployers, and how far it has been swayed by the lobbying and opinions of some suppliers?
In the first interview EPC Chairman Gerard Hartsink talks about the benefits of standardization, and why there is no need for manufacturers and cash-in-transit companies to complain.
In the second interview Aleksandra Lubavs, director of EMEA marketing, communications and strategy for Diebold highlights the disadvantages and states that this is a short-sighted approach in terms of total cash optimization and elimination of cost within the retail banking self-service market. The expectation is that adopting this approach would inevitably lead to hidden costs. There are clear benefits for the CIT industry though.........and I wonder why Mr Hartsink thinks that they might want to complain?
I go with the second view and reiterate what I said in my first blog - any final decision on this in Europe needs to be taken by the ATM deployers and not by their suppliers! I wonder if the position of the EPC accurately reflects the opinion of the majority of the European ATM deployers, and how far it has been swayed by the lobbying and opinions of some suppliers?
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