Blog

ATM updates, upgrades and unbudgeted expense

October 15, 2013 by atm Atom — blogger, atmatom

No industry has been hit by change over the past few years quite like the ATM industry. The emergence of 3DES, VISA-certified keypads, PCI-certified keypads, new ADA mandates, and the adoption of EMV have our collective heads spinning with "mandate mania."

Beyond these changes, Microsoft has announced the end of life for the Windows XP operating system now that Windows 7 has been formally adopted by the PC community. This change affects the ATM community as well because with the end of life to XP comes the end of life to security updates for XP.

Who is affected? Most on-premises ATMs at financial institutions use the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. Typically, these ATMs operate using "states and screens" administered by the host processor.

On the other hand, most off-premises or retail ATMs operate in a mode in which the ATM controls the screen flow. As of late, these ATMs have typically used the Microsoft Windows CE operating system.

What is a security update, and why do we need it? A security update (or patch) is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update, a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs and improving the usability or performance of the overall system.

In short, security updates help make our ATMs less vulnerable to attacks. Those in the ATM value-added and liability chains insist that ATMs, just like your office PC, have the latest and greatest in security.

As a result, ATM owners and operators are being forced to upgrade existing Windows XP-based ATMs to Windows 7. In many cases, manufacturers of Windows XP- and Windows 7-based ATMs are pairing the operating system upgrade with the upgrade to support EMV — a double whammy to the pocketbooks of ATM owners.

Hmmm, I am suddenly reminded of the fact that Windows 8 has already been released. This will inevitably force yet another PC upgrade for owners of these Windows XP- and Windows 7-based ATMs.

How does this affect Triton ATMs? Triton has used the Windows CE (now officially known as Windows Compact) operating system for its ATMs for the past ten years. CE is a distinct operating system, not a trimmed-down version of Windows XP.

Microsoft licenses CE to original equipment manufacturers and device-makers so that these users can create their own interfaces. The software is optimized for devices that have minimal storage, and more importantly, it can be configured as a closed system that does not allow end-user access.

Triton continuously evaluates threats to CE and provides updates when necessary to ensure that it remains secure.

If you have a Triton ATM, the migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 does not affect you. For that matter, the eventual migration to Windows 8 does not affect you, either. Triton regularly manages and maintains necessary security updates with new software releases, which you can download from our website.

— by Kurtis Johnson

This article has been republished from the Triton blog, atmAToM, with kind permission from Triton.

Read more about software.