Cyber criminals cashing in on ATM 'jackpots'

UNITED STATES Diebold Nixdorf Inc and NCR Corp, two of the world's largest ATM makers, have warned that cyber criminals are targeting US cash machines with tools that force them to spit out cash in hacking schemes known as "jackpotting."

The two ATM makers did not identify any victims or say how much money had been lost.

Jackpotting has been rising worldwide in recent years, though it is unclear how much cash has been stolen because victims and police often do not disclose details.

The attacks were reported earlier on Saturday by the security news website Krebs on Security, which said they had begun last year in Mexico.

The companies confirmed to Reuters on Saturday they had sent out the alerts to clients.

NCR said in a Friday alert that the cases were the first confirmed "jackpotting" losses in the US.

It said its equipment had not been targeted in the recent attacks, but that it was still a concern for the ATM industry.

ALERT

A confidential US Secret Service alert sent to banks said the hackers targeted stand-alone ATMs in pharmacies, big box retailers and drive-thru ATMs.

The steps that criminals had used to compromise ATMs include gaining physical access, replacing the hard drive and using an industrial endoscope to depress an internal button required to reset the device. - REUTERS