Cashing Out: ATM Jackpotting Attacks Surging Across US

$20M Stolen Last Year in Malware-Driven Jackpotting Attacks, Warns FBI Mathew J. Schwartz (euroinfosec) • February 20, 2026

Malware-wielding criminals "jackpotted" ATMs across the United States last year to walk away with $20 million in stolen cash.

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The FBI, tracking that collective haul, warned ATM operators that these malware-fueled attacks are on the rise. Of the 1,900 ATM jackpotting attacks in U.S. cataloged since 2020, 700 of them - or one-third - occurred last year.

Jackpotting or cash-out attacks involve tricking an ATM into disgorging cash, typically after infecting it with a strain of malware that gives an attacker full control of the device.

A well-known strain of malware called Ploutus is among the ...