Flaws in Ubiquitous ATM Software Could Have Let Attackers Take Over Cash Machines

Six vulnerabilities in ATM-maker Diebold Nixdorf’s popular Vynamic Security Suite could have been exploited to control ATMs using “relatively simplistic attacks.”

There is a grand tradition at the annual Defcon security conference in Las Vegas of hacking ATMs. Unlocking them with safecracking techniques, rigging them to steal users' personal data and PIN numbers, crafting and refining ATM malware and, of course, hacking them to spit out all their cash. Many of these projects targeted what are known as retail ATMs, freestanding devices like those you'd find at a gas station or a bar. But on Friday, independent researcher Matt Burch is presenting findings related to the “financial” or “enterprise” ATMs used in banks and other large institutions.