Hackers Use USB Stick To Empty ATM Machines of All Their Cash

Everyone has had that same fantasy when stepping up to their ATM that maybe it will accidentally just empty itself out into your palm when you go to get your money, making you the luckiest and richest person of the day. Well, for a group of Hackers in Europe, they made that dream a reality with the use of a simple USB stick.

According to the BBC, German researches revealed, during the Chaos Computer Congress on Dec. 28 in Hamburg, that criminals used USB drives during an ATM robbery spree last summer. Obviously ATMs have been a target for thieves in the past but hardly like this. Because they often run older software, they are vulnerable to hackers who can get past the systems.

In order to hack the machines, the criminals cut holes into cash machines in order to infect them with malware code.

According to reports, the thefts came to light in July after the lender involved noticed several ATMS were being emptied despite their use of sages to protect the cash inside. After surveillance was increased, the bank discovered that criminals were vandalizing the machines and infecting them with the USB malware. They would patch the holes in the machines after emptying the ATMs, allowing them to hit up the same machines more than once without being discovered.

To activate the code at the time of their choosing, thieves typed in a 12-digit code that launched a special interface. Analysis of the software installed onto four of the affected ATMs demonstrated that it displayed the amount of money available and presented a series of menu options on the ATMs screen to release each denomination of currency.

The masterminds behind these attacks were concerned that some of the lower-level criminals they were using to score the cash might take the USB sticks and go solo. To combat that risk, the software required a second code response to numbers shown on the ATM's screen before they could release the money. The correct response was different each time and could only be obtained by calling another gang member and telling them the numbers displayed on the ATM.

So far there's no word yet on how much money the group was actually able to steal with this attack. The names of the people involved were not made available either, upon request.