A hacker group called Cobalt targeted ATMs across Europe in "smash and grab" operations. The hackers are reported to have remotely attacked ATMs using malicious software, which manipulated the systems to dispense cash.

Two of the biggest global ATM manufacturers, NCR and Diebold Nixdorf, said they were aware of the attacks and were working with customers in efforts to mitigate the threat. The targeted countries include Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia.

Experts have already told you about a number of hacker groups jack-potting money from ATM’s. Now you can see it with your own eyes! Researchers shot four videos of ATM hack demos. 

Of course, not all ATMs are hackable. The attacks described above are feasible only if something is misconfigured. It could be that the bank’s network is not segmented, or authentication is not required when the ATM’s software exchanges data with the hardware, or there is no white-list for apps, or the network cable is easily accessible. Unfortunately, such problems are rather common. 

Taiwan investigators suspect two Russian nationals hacked into a major domestic bank's ATMs last weekend, using malware to withdraw more than $2 million from dozens of machines in the country's first recorded case of its kind.

Combining cybercrime with daylight robbery after a typhoon battered greater Taipei, the suspects may have used a cellphone to trigger 41 First Bank ATMs to dispense fat wads of bills. In each case, the still-at-large suspects took the money and left quickly, filmed on close-circuit TV cameras. The theft shows growing boldness in attacks on ATMs in Asia.

Japanese newspapers reported that an ATM heist involving around 1,400 machines in convenience stores resulted in the loss of $12.7 million. ATMs were targeted across Tokyo and 16 other prefectures in the country.

Police said they believe up to 100 people were involved in the heist. The thieves apparently went to ATMs like those found in 7-11s across Japan and swiped counterfeit South African credit cards, created using information from cards issued by South Africa's Standard Bank. At each of the approximately 1,400 ATMs that were struck, the culprit withdrew about $900, which is the maximum withdrawal permitted on the machines.

Over the last year, criminals in Russia found a way to steal 252 million Rubles from five unnamed banks, using a novel technique called a “reverse ATM attack”, according to Russian digital intelligence firm Group-IB.

It exploited esoteric weaknesses in the international transfer system and involved compromised point-of-sale systems in America as well as a global “money mule” network that would handle the stolen funds before passing them on to higher-ups. Group-IB, which is helping police with the ongoing investigation, said the criminals could have made off with a lot more if they’d been more persistent. Here’s how the Moscow-based firm said it worked.

Security researchers have discovered a new malware program that infects automated teller machines and allows attackers to extract cash on command.

The program is dubbed GreenDispenser and was detected in Mexico. However, it's only a matter of time until similar attacks are adopted by cybercriminals in other countries. GreenDispenser is not the first malware program to target ATMs. In October 2013, security researchers from Symantec warned about a backdoor called Ploutus that could infect ATMs when a new boot disk is inserted into their CD-ROM drives. Interestingly, GreenDispenser uses some type of two-factor authentication.

The Automated Teller Machine has always been a popular target for criminals looking to quickly steal cash. More than likely, you have heard of criminals robbing people who have just made a cash withdrawal, but there are a range of other things criminals can do to manipulate the ATM itself.

These attacks can range from subtle card skimming mechanisms to more brazen approaches such as removing the entire ATM using industrial equipment like a fork lift truck, exploding the ATM after filling it with gas, or even tunneling underground to penetrate the ATM from below. 

Banks in Europe are warning about the emergence of a rare, virtually invisible form of ATM skimmer involving a so-called “wiretapping” device that is inserted through a tiny hole cut in the cash machine’s front. The hole is covered up by a fake decal, and the thieves then use custom-made equipment.

A nonprofit that represents banks in many countries, financial institutions in two countries recently reported ATM attacks in which the card data was compromised internally by “wire-tapping” or “eavesdropping” on the customer transaction. The image below shows some criminal equipment used to perpetrate these eavesdropping attacks.

What do you need in order to withdraw cash from an ATM? First, you need to have a debit or credit card, which acts as a key to your bank account. Second, you must know the PIN code associated with the card; otherwise, the bank wouldn’t approve the transaction.

Finally, you need to have some money in your account that you can withdraw. However, hackers do things differently: they don’t need cards, PIN codes or bank accounts to get money. In reality, all they need is an ATM with some cash in it and a special piece of software. Earlier this year, at the request of a financial institution, experts performed a forensic investigation into a cyber-criminal attack that targeted multiple ATMs in Eastern Europe.