Lately a group of mysterious cyber hackers have stolen millions of dollars from ATMs using a special kind of software dubbed Tyupkin. Primarily created to work on ATMs powered by 32-bit versions of Windows, this malicious program makes the machines to give out cash on command, without using debit or credit cards. The most surprising aspect about this malware is that it enables the attackers to gain physical access to the ATMs, which is generally protected with a locked panel.
The attack was initially identified by a major Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. A very famous financial institution has asked the security firm to investigate the cyber-attack.
And according to principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, “The malware is installed by inserting a bootable CD into the machine, after which the criminals reboot the system, and the infected ATM is under their control. This operation allows the criminals to play with the ATM software in the way that they need to. So it’s a completely different threat level, where software protection doesn’t work.”
