News

Citi ATMs at 7-Eleven compromised by hacking ring

August 23, 2009

Financial Times reportsthat the hacking ring connected with theworld's largest financial-data-security breachalso compromised Citi-branded ATMs at 7-Eleven. The ATMs, owned and operated by Cardtronics, were among the systems hit by the hackers.

The news report says federal authorities see financial losses to cyber crimes growing at a rapid pace:

Banks have said very little about their losses to cyber-thieves, but federal authorities say the figures have been growing rapidly. In the case of the Citibank-branded ATMs, the perpetrators penetrated a network linking 2,200 kiosks inside 7-Eleven stores from late 2007 until at least February 2008.

The gang reportedly lifted card numbers and PINs from the system, and then withdrew some $2 million in cash from Citibank ATMs. An FBI affidavit said Yuriy Ryabinin ofBrooklynwithdrew $750,000 from Citibank accounts in February 2008.

The breach occurred on a back-end system that had been outsourced by 7-Eleven before the system was moved over to Cardtronics' internal network.