This so-called "jackpotting" attack is usually done by an actor pretending to be an ATM technician. They then enter malicious software or hardware, while others will withdraw money at an ATM.
Alex Alberto Fajin-Diaz, a 31-year-old Spanish man, and Argenys Rodriguez, a 21-year-old man from Massachusetts was arrested on January 27. Investigators contacted police who found Fajin-Diaz and Rodriguez close to an ATM that spent US $ 20.
When police checked the men's vehicles, they found the tools and electronic devices needed to hack ATMs. In addition, police also found money worth more than US $ 9 thousand. Initial investigations say that the ATM has spent as much as US $ 50 thousand.
Report from security journalist Brian Krebs explains the jackpotting method. Thieves who pretend to be technicians usually use endoscopes to find the inside of an ATM before connecting an ATM computer to their laptop using a cable.
The ATM will then show the message "not working" and the money spent through ATM can be controlled remotely.
Thieves can force ATM machines to spend money, which will then be collected by others. Stand-alone ATMs located in pharmacies or large stores are at greatest risk of being attacked.
According to the Justice Department, law enforcement agencies have been investigating cyberattacks to ATMs in Connecticut, Hamden, Guilford and Rhode Island. People who commit fraud on banks are facing a maximum jail term of 30 years.
Typically, the jackpotting method is done to attack ATMs in Europe, Mexico and Asia. However, last week, ATMs across the US have lost more than US $ 1 million due to jackpotting.
