How To Steal ATM PINs With a Thermal Camera

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers from UCSD have demonstrated how thermal imagery cameras can be used to steal customers' PINs (PDF) when you withdraw cash from ATMs. Their paper, entitled 'Heat of the Moment: Characterizing the Efficacy of Thermal Camera-Based Attacks', (PDF) discovered that plastic PIN pads were the best for retaining heat signatures showing which numbers (and in which order) were used by bank customers. Fortunately the methodology does not appear to have been used by criminals yet, but a third of people surveyed admit that they do not check ATMs for tampering before withdrawing cash."

Comments

Re:Now get back in line.

[Joce640k]

but a third of people surveyed admit that they do not check ATMs for tampering before withdrawing cash.

Two thirds of them do? I find that very hard to believe.

Re:Now get back in line.

[kevinNCSU]

After looking at the pictures of scanners in this ( Consumerist Security Briefing from Gawker) I don't think I could tell even if someone put 4 ATM machines in front of me and told me one of them had a skimmer, pick it out. These things fit so perfectly over the card reader it seems near impossible to tell without pulling out a knife and seeing if you can get anything to pop off, and I don't think that'd make most places happy.