News

Crooks launch new, 'black box' ATM hack

A 'novel and complex' new physical attack involves a mobile phone and a circuit board plugged into the ATM's core.

January 9, 2015

According to the Krebs on Security blog, criminals have begun using a "novel and complex" new method to steal cash from ATMs.

In this so-called "black box" attack, thieves gain physical access to the ATM in order to disconnect the cash dispenser from the core system and then install a controlling device that allows them to instruct the machine to dispense its cash.

This aspect of the crime — gaining control over the dispenser by means of another device — is already well known to legal authorities. But in the latest version of the attack, commands are sent from a remote server to a mobile phone connected to the cash machine.

According to the Krebs report, this indicated that the "boss" of the operation was issuing commands from a remote location, tracking cash issued in order to prevent underlings (or "mules") from skimming the proceeds.

In another twist, the crooks connect a circuit board to the core, fooling it into thinking the dispenser is still connected.

This nonessential step is most likely a tactic to delay the discovery that the machine has been tampered with, the report said.