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9 ways to lock out ATM hackers

Putting your ATM network beyond criminals' reach is a multilayered proposition. That's where the 'onion model' of security best practice comes in.

February 13, 2015 by Suzanne Cluckey — Owner, Suzanne Cluckey Communications

Malware attacks are not only increasing in frequency, but they’re also becoming more sophisticated in nature, combining known and successful methodologies with new tactics.

To combat this growing threat effectively, banks, ATM fleet owners and retailers must know the latest techniques and technologies that are available to secure their assets.

These were the subject of an in-depth presentation this week during the webinar, "ATM security: Using the 'onion model' to repel software attacks." The event was hosted by ATM Marketplace and presented by Wincor Nixdorf.

In the webinar, Wincor Nixdorf Senior Trusted Advisor Terence Devereux discussed historical and newly-evolving attack scenarios, and then presented nine tightly integrated security layers that form the onion" approach to protecting ATMs, POS devices, operating systems, and customer data.

This model ensures that if one security layer fails, others will take over to shield and secure an organization’s critical assets.

The webinar also reviewed the findings of a recently completed security audit, and discussed steps that banks and ATM fleet owners need to take to satisfy all applicable PCI DSS requirements.

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“Securing ATMs and POS devices isn’t just about preventing monetary losses — it’s also about protecting something far more valuable, which is your customer’s trust,” Devereux said.

“A smart way to deliver security is by implementing a layered, onion approach that can catch continuously evolving threats. This webinar presents the necessary security guidance needed to create a protective shield against all kinds of physical and logical attacks.”

The onion model is part of Wincor Nixdorf’s 365-degree security concept to protect self-service systems against physical and logical attacks. Solutions used in this model protect self-service networks, secure customer and company data, and also detect attempted fraud, 365 days a year. Wincor Nixdorf will shortly be publishing a white paper on the 365-degree security concept.

A replay of the webinar and slide presentation is now available online.

lock photos courtesy rjp | flickr

About Suzanne Cluckey

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Suzanne’s editorial career has spanned three decades and encompassed all B2B and B2C communications formats. Her award-winning work has appeared in trade and consumer media in the United States and internationally.