THE HAGUE: Cyber criminals are increasingly accessing automated teller machines (ATMs) through the banks’ networks, with squads of money mules standing by ready to pick up the stolen cash, Europe’s policing agency warned Tuesday.
“The malware being used has evolved significantly and the scope and scale of the attacks have grown proportionately,” said Steven Wilson, who head’s Europol’s EC3 cybercrime center.
Previously criminals used physical ‘skimming’ devices or USB sticks or CDs to install malware within ATMs but since 2015 “a new and unnerving trend... has been picking up speed,” Europol said in a 40-page report on the latest ATM crime trends.
“The criminals have realized that not only can ATMs be physically attacked, but it is also very possible for these machines to be accessed through the (bank’s) network,” the report said, which was published in conjunction with the Trend Micro security software company.
One of the tricks used by hackers is to send a so-called phishing e-mail to bank employees which once opened, contains software to penetrate the bank’s internal computer network.
Once the ATM has been targeted and told to dispense the money “standby money ‘mules’ will pick up the cash and go.”
Europol warned that incidents of ATM targeting is likely to rise in the future.
“In the past, banks might have thought that network segregation was enough to keep their ATM networks safe from cyber crooks,” Europol said.
“This is no longer the case.”
The policing agency also said that “financial organizations need to take more steps to secure their ATM installations by deploying more security layers.”
In addition to a public report, Europol is also giving out a private report providing details to institutions to firm up their security against ATM piracy.
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Europol warns banks ATM cyberattacks on the rise
Europol warns banks ATM cyberattacks on the rise
Another 131 migrants rescued off southern Crete
ATHENS: The Greek coast guard Saturday rescued 131 would be migrants off Crete, bringing the number of people brought out of the sea in the area over the past five days to 840, a police spokesperson said.
The migrants rescued Saturday morning were aboard a fishing boat some 14 nautical miles south of Gavdos, a small island south of Crete.
The passengers, whose nationality was not revealed, were all taken to Gavdos.
Many people attempting to reach Crete from Libya drown during the risky crossing.
In early December, 17 people — mostly Sudanese or Egyptian — were found dead after their boat sank off the coast of Crete, and 15 others were reported missing. Only two people survived.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 16,770 people trying to get to Europe have arrived in Crete since the beginning of the year, more than on any other Greek island.
In July, the conservative government suspended the processing of asylum applications for three months, particularly those of people arriving from Libya, saying the measure as “absolutely necessary” in the face of the increasing flow of migrants.
The migrants rescued Saturday morning were aboard a fishing boat some 14 nautical miles south of Gavdos, a small island south of Crete.
The passengers, whose nationality was not revealed, were all taken to Gavdos.
Many people attempting to reach Crete from Libya drown during the risky crossing.
In early December, 17 people — mostly Sudanese or Egyptian — were found dead after their boat sank off the coast of Crete, and 15 others were reported missing. Only two people survived.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 16,770 people trying to get to Europe have arrived in Crete since the beginning of the year, more than on any other Greek island.
In July, the conservative government suspended the processing of asylum applications for three months, particularly those of people arriving from Libya, saying the measure as “absolutely necessary” in the face of the increasing flow of migrants.
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