Banks Switching ATM's OS To Windows

[Don_G]

Banks are switching their ATM's Operating System from OS/2 to Windows. By 2005 they expect to have 65% switched over to a stripped down version of Windows.

Link: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60497,00.html

Do I see a threat here? Can an ATM catch a worm or a virus? :tinfoilhat:

[Kolesar]

1. They wanted something more reliable than Diebold software, like Microsoft

::snicker:: /sarcasm

[Brian Sweat]

4. "OS/2 is dead and they need to replace it."

To be honest, I don't know why they didn't go with Linux. I am not a big Linux proponent, but I would think that it would have several advantages over windows.

1. It free (tough to beat)

2. It has a reputation for being very stable.


I guess the one down side would be the open source. It's easier to break into something if you know exactly how it works.

[Don_G]

6. I Think You're Right

Especially if it's limited to a closed network. I'd hate to see M$ have anything to do with my money given their reputation for expensive, reoccuring security flaws and holes.

[htuttle]

8. That's not a downside

What you refer to is often known as 'security by obscurity', and it's recognized as being really no security at all.

Much better are open, peer-reviewed systems where instead of keeping people from finding the security flaws, you use those people to make sure there aren't any flaws to be found.

Best example: When the US government decided to switch to a new encryption cipher standard (3DES was getting old), they went through a fairly extensive peer review process, where each candidate algorithm was examined (with reference code) to make SURE it had no flaws. Anyone can download the source code to the AES (aka Rijndael) cipher, but it won't help them much. The algorithm is sound, even when the method is known.

[Brian Sweat]

2. Can an ATM catch a worm or a virus?

No. They are not networked. They do communicate with the host system, but the host runs a different O/S and they only exchange data.

[DK666]

3. WhoHoo

hacking ATM's with an IR buffer overflow and my palm m100 running mlinux ......



Ahhhhmmmmm I mean wow that pretty good news right

[Brian Sweat]

5. last time I looked, ATM's didn't have an IR port

or anything else you could connect your palm pilot up to.

[DK666]

7. Ahhhhh

Well since they are going to windows that means hardware upgrades *if* the hardware has an Ir port exploits will abound. Microsoft software is hard to secure now if they go with windows CE that a different story but remember EVERY ATM has communications and that can lead to problems.