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Why ATM Bombs May Be Coming Soon To the United States

HughPickens.com writes Nick Summers has an interesting article at Bloomberg about the epidemic of 90 ATM bombings that has hit Britain since 2013. ATM machines are vulnerable because the strongbox inside an ATM has two essential holes: a small slot in front that spits out bills to customers and a big door in back through which employees load reams of cash in large cassettes. "Criminals have learned to see this simple enclosure as a physics problem," writes Summers. "Gas is pumped in, and when it's detonated, the weakest part—the large hinged door—is forced open. After an ATM blast, thieves force their way into the bank itself, where the now gaping rear of the cash machine is either exposed in the lobby or inside a trivially secured room. Set off with skill, the shock wave leaves the money neatly stacked, sometimes with a whiff of the distinctive acetylene odor of garlic." The rise in gas attacks has created a market opportunity for the companies that construct ATM components. Several manufacturers now make various anti-gas-attack modules: Some absorb shock waves, some detect gas and render it harmless, and some emit sound, fog, or dye to discourage thieves in the act.

As far as anyone knows, there has never been a gas attack on an American ATM. The leading theory points to the country's primitive ATM cards. Along with Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and not many other countries, the U.S. doesn't require its plastic to contain an encryption chip, so stealing cards remains an effective, nonviolent way to get at the cash in an ATM. Encryption chip requirements are coming to the U.S. later this year, though. And given the gas raid's many advantages, it may be only a matter of time until the back of an American ATM comes rocketing off.

15 of 378 comments (clear)

  1. Amateurs... by Flyingfenix · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here in Brazil, more than a few thousand ATMs were exploded in the last years. Using ordinary explosives, and in many cases, demolishing the entire building in the process.

    Many times, it destroys the money completely in the process, but as it seems, usually enough remains that the practice continues. No need to be refined, using gas or thinking about the physics. The thieves sometimes hijack trucks and buses to close off the streets for a few minutes while others set up and detonate the ATMs. The police rarely has time to come to the scene and jail them. Also, sometimes, the police itself is involved.

    The most effective measure taken to discourage the practice was to pack bags of dyes inside the ATM cassetes, so that the money is stained and rendered unusable. If you try to deposit stained money, it'll be confiscated on the spot.

    In the last months, security measures got better in the larger cities, and the thieves moved to exploding the ATMs in smaller cities, or more remote locations in the suburbs.

  2. Re:The mythbusters need to test this now! by MitchDev · · Score: 3, Informative

    Or it will be like the "How easy is it to steal credit card numbers" segment that sponsors forced them to cut from the show...

  3. Re:Encryption chips? by LordLucless · · Score: 2, Informative

    Poor word choice in TFS. Chips don't make it harder to use stolen cards, they make it harder to use cloned cards.

    --
    Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
  4. Re:The mythbusters need to test this now! by NoMaster · · Score: 4, Informative

    Why, when the funny version is available on YouTube?

    A local one from the other week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVEkK_ZhKQo

    The local intelligentsia have been doing this on and off since at least 2008:
    http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/now-theyre-robbing-with-gas-atms-blown-up/2008/11/18/1226770451062.html

    --
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  5. The mythbusters need to test this now! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Who needs Mythbusters.

    http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/watch-fazakerley-man-andrew-white-8539648

  6. Re:Japanese solution! by jittles · · Score: 5, Informative

    In Germany a lot of small suburb banks require you to use your ATM card to open the lobby door after hours. At least that was my experience a few years ago. This doesn't prevent someone from using a stolen card to gain access to the bank lobby, but it forces the criminals to enter into a lighted and monitored building before they can engage in any shenanigans.

  7. Re:For all of you USA haters out there: by bws111 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Uh, yeah. Of the 6400 cars in the NYC subway, more than 4300 were built in the last 15 years. Only 1400 are more than 30 years old, only 300 more than 40 years old, and none more than 50 years old.

  8. Re:For all of you USA haters out there: by Neil+Boekend · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here in the Netherlands a complete system for magstripe debit and credit card reading was in place. It worked for years.
    However, with the upswing in magstripe data thefts the banks have switched to chip. Next step is to disable magstripe payments by default unless the customer requests it.

    --
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  9. Re:For all of you USA haters out there: by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since the losses due to card fraud are almost entirely borne by the banks, I have to assume it is more cost effective to take the losses than to chip all of the cards.

    I'm not sure what you mean regarding the NYC subway - those trains aren't very old. There are some older (1960s-era Budd cars) trains still used on the C line, but they were redone in the late 80s. The J and Z lines have some cars from the early 70s - but again, these were overhauled in the late 80s. Other than that, the oldest cars are from the late 70s - certainly nothing wooden from the 50s. The vast majority of the rolling stock was built by Bombardier, Kawasaki, or perhaps Westinghouse for some of the older 80s trains.

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    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  10. Re:For all of you USA haters out there: by hattig · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's the same in the UK, except chip and pin is the default and has been for around eight? ten? years already. I don't know if the magstripe is really used anymore either.

    It's quaint seeing a foreigner (American) try to pay for goods with a card, and have to go through special procedures for the signature style payment.

  11. Re:Positive pressure? by houghi · · Score: 4, Informative

    The chip requires a PIN to be entered. If you don';t do that correctly within three times, the card is rendered useless.
    And this does not have to be three consecutive times.

    So even if you have the card, you are unable to do any purchases with it. And obviously you need to do them before the card is noticed to be stolen.

    In Belgium the Card Stop number is on every ATM. You call them and the card is blocked. Any Belgian card. Loose your walled with 10 cards? One number to call. The number is even on every new sim-card in Belgium.

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    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  12. Re:For all of you USA haters out there: by bws111 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yeah, they're still using designs from the 50s. The cars are still made of wood and have ceiling fans (oops, they are stainless steel/fiberglass and have A/C).

    The cars currently being made (R188) were designed in 2011. Previous generation (R160) was designed in 2005. Prior to that was the R143 (2010) and the R142 (1999).

  13. Re:For all of you USA haters out there: by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1, Informative

    Seeing as the Sixth Amendment only applies to American citizens, why would you assume it applies to foreigners?

    Strange, nowhere in:

    In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

    Do I see a mention of citizenship.

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  14. Re:Positive pressure? by StikyPad · · Score: 2, Informative

    No. They's why they're all blank.

  15. Re:For all of you USA haters out there: by gweihir · · Score: 3, Informative

    It seems you cannot even read the articles you quote: "In simultaneous and independent efforts, engineers in Japan, Sweden, and Britain developed their own cash machines during the early 1960s." and "An experimental Bankograph was installed in New York City in 1961 by the City Bank of New York, but removed after six months due to the lack of customer acceptance.".

    So not only was that 1961 in the US, it was a failure as well.

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