Reprogramming Your ATM For Fun And For Profit (Mainly For Profit)
from the not-so-hard-at-all dept
There was some buzz last week after CNN showed a video of an ATM machine that had been programmed to believe it had $5 bills instead of $20s (so any withdrawal actually gave you 4X the money you asked for). The guy who did this just walked in and knew the code to reprogram the ATM. He then left the ATM programmed that way, and the ATM gave a lot of people extra money for nine days before someone pointed out the problem. So how easy would it be for anyone else to do this? Apparently it's ridiculously easy. With a bit of hunting online, it's not too hard to obtain a copy of the manual for the type of ATM machine used, including instructions on how to switch it to diagnostic mode. You do need a password, but the manual lists the typical default passwords that it seems likely many of these ATM owners failed to switch. Hopefully, this new burst of publicity over the issue will encourage owners of the machines to change their passwords -- but if you happen to see certain ATMs with unusually long lines in the near future (and don't mind committing fraud), you might want to withdraw some money.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Turning $20's into Orange Jumpsuits
Nothing like the long arm of the law, when thugs in black body armor come smashing through your door, so you get to wear an orange uniform for the rest of your life.
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But who is really at fault
Sigh
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Re: But who is really at fault
The Bank is guilty of not taking adequate measures to secure their assets, and they will be judged and punished by whatever activity is responsible for making sure they are taking adequate measures to protect their assets, be it their insurance companies, board of directors... yada yada. But they have not done anything criminally wrong, not to my knowledge, at least (IANAL).
The jackass who is tampering with the atm is responsible for stealing from the bank. Every dollar that the ATM gave out "extra" is given out because the tamperer caused the machine to give out extra. HE effectively stole the money, whether or not he ever touched it or benefited from it. His crime was a criminal act. I jsut hope no dumbass judge thinks this case is somehow different because it involved technology.
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Both at fault ...
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Re: Both at fault ...
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I bet a lot of people get letters
Failure to secure ones assets doesn't excuse criminal behavior. If I see someone drop cash I am going to give it back to them. To simply take the cash would be dishonest.
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A problem
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Isolated
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Re: I bet a lot of people get letters
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Re: Isolated
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Re: I bet a lot of people get letters
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Give the $$$ back
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All I have to say is...
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The manual.
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What about those who stole the money?
Sad state of the world - honesty is now considered a handicap not a necessity.
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Re: Re: I bet a lot of people get letters
Taking all that additional money out of ppls accounds and charging them overdrafts would cause more trouble to the bank than its worth. Those customers would go from pleased to pissed real quick with a simple mindset of "How are they gonna make a mistake and then charge me for it?"
And while the argument is that these customer has an obligation to inform the bank, most wouldn't. Would you? Honestly.
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The ATM manufacturer is at fault
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Nine Days??
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Re: Re: Re: I bet a lot of people get letters
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Good for you...
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Nice reference
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Re: All I have to say is...
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Not a major bank
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Big Brother
As an earlier commenter said, either you are honest or you are not. Justifying your actions doesn't change that.
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And here's the manual
WAY TOO EASY.
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the "users" aren't at fault. when you see 5 bucks on the ground, do you take it to the cops, or do you pocket it? when you go to your local burger joint and order 2 cheesburgers, and get 3, do you take one back? does the burger place come after you for the extra $1.50 for the "extra" burger? what's the difference if you go to a human teller and withdraw $200, but the 20s are stuck together and you get 300? you drive home, or go shopping or on vacation or what not, not realizing the extra you have. you take it from the bank envolope, and place in your purse/wallet and go on your way. now, the teller is out thte extra money, and has no way of tracking it. you use your money, and have no record there (threw away cash reciepts) so what's going to happen now?
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Ohh my.
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Re: Honesty
Your teller giving out $300 instead of $200 is incompetent and will be fired (I did this job: You have to be REALLY bad or stupid not to notice 5 stuck bills. But, yes, I've given back a few cents given in error. Once, to give $196 back to a bank for six months, finally gave up & kept it - they wouldn't take it!
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9 days
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Re: The ATM manufacturer is at fault
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Get off your high horse.
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Can't wait
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Who's at fault?
If the ATM is owned by someone else (as most of the small ones at convenience stores are), they may have no way of retrieving the money. They'd have to get the individual's contact information from the customers' banks, because all they're likely to have is the account number and the bank's routing/ABA number. The bank, for privacy concerns, may be unwilling to hand over their customers' information (unless subpoenaed).
Then, what's their claim? The customer asked for $100. The bank authorized them to give out $100. They gave out $200. And can they prove it? The machine's logs all state that it gave out $100! What's their proof that it actually gave out $200? The customer can insist that he received $100, and I'm not sure how the machine owner can prove otherwise. He may have a log from the armored car service that fills the machine showing that they only put $20s in. Then we have the battle of the conflicting logs and the customer's version of events.
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Re: I bet a lot of people get letters
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re: both at fault
it seems pretty stupid to not take every measure there is to protect it since someone is going to try to crack it. it's a little bank that no one is guarding. people rob these machines all the time. or just steal the machines outright.
this is a game being played between the people that make the machines and the people that break into them. it's been going on since some guy in the 50's figured out how to get a payphone to give him money.
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Re: Give the $$$ back
Rubin Ferziger
Law office of Rubin Ferziger 212-490-8585
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Being unaware of things can be a crime as well?
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If a Brinks truck crashed in my neighborhood, and bundles of money flew out, I'll be damned if I'd turn in the cash. Ironically I wasn't always this way. I once believed that honesty pays. The ONLY reason that I would give money back from an ATM mistake in my favor is that I know damned well the bank always wins and I'm not going to wear the proverbial orange jumpsuit or take part in the initiation of old Martha Stewart.
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ATM Story
Slightly OT: I just heard a commedian talk about how he used an ATM to buy $20 of his own money for $1.50...
You gotta love progress!
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Who got Screwed?
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Re: Who got Screwed?
For their punishment, they would be out the money.
(Also, if a bar-type restaurant didnt "hear" the customers getting all excited over free money, then they should be punished for that stupid mistake as well)
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Re: The difference is
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Re: Nine Days??
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Is the guy a criminal for accessing a public machine and playing with it's settings? Yes, his crime would be criminal mischief. Although intent of damage is not apparent, pecuniary (monetary) loss has occurred. Whoever set up the machine is negligent and also shares in the guilt.
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Re:9 days?
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Re: Re: The ATM manufacturer is at fault
Sorry, but the ATM manufacturer is still at fault, even if the fault is shared.
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what about if it wasn't a bank teller, but a cashier from a retail store. i sold my books baack in colege and was supposed to get 45 bucks. i ended up getting close to 70 because the girl just anded me an extra 20. did i tell her? nope. if they are gonna rape me on text book prices, i'm gonna let them rape themselves with refunds.
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It's the ATM Manufacturers Fault
As far as ATM's in general dispensing the wrong denomination of cash, it can be the fault of the Teller, ATM machine, or the Network.
The New NCR and Diebold ATM's are Overpriced Microsoft Windows Boxes. That should make you feel REAL secure.
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ATM Theft, You bunch of morons...
One my favorite little test of friendship, especially someone I've just met, is to leave a $20 bill laying out on the kitchen table or somewhere that I know my new 'friend' will notice it.
I then leave them alone with it for about 10 to 20 minutes and come back. If the bill is still there then they have passed the test. If not I don't confront them about it, I just never have anything to do with them again. It's worth the $20 to find out up front whether or not they are a thief and/or they have that much disrespect for me.
Now, whose fault is it, mine for leaving the $20 laying around or theirs for taking it?
The same with the bank, whoever reprogrammed their ATM is at fault and should be prosecuted.
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Do you people honestly believe....
.
for one minute that this bullshit ATM story is true!?
Oh yeah, your brother-in-law that works at the corner store sez he saw it happen. Or rather he knows someone who saw it or something similar.... Sure.
Maybe we should go check on snopes.com, the urban ledgends and see what they have on it
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2nd - the bank would need to prove you got that money and that is something they cannot do. They have no witnesses, the cameras do not take pics of the bills, so they can only speculate that the machine gave out more money than the paper trail shows relative to a specific withdrawal.
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Another thing, I used to work in a bank for about 4 years, and I noticed sometimes people get overcharged for some reason (system error they said) the accounts balance only had a difference of no more than a dollar, but if you think about this same situation happening on I don't know 40,000 ppl?
Now THATS stealing, so I guess there wouldn't be that much guilt in stealing from a bank through ATMs... it would be somehow like a Robin Hood situation. Steal from Thieves
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Re: Do you people honestly believe....
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Re: Shaving pennies
The point is that yes, banks do steal from customers on a daily basis. Most people consider it trivial, but spread out over 100,000 or more accounts it adds up. So, yes customers often feel justified when a bank error favors them.
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RE: Do you people honestly believe....
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Re: Turning $20's into Orange Jumpsuits
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ATM Reprogram
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Re: Give the $$$ back
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Re: Re: Shaving pennies
You know thats the whole story plot of one of the original superman movies right?
Your a fool to have listened you friends tall tale.
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Re: Users aren't at fault?
It's called honesty and restitution. I know... two concepts slowly becoming foreign here in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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Re: Yes...
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Technical specification of NCR ATM machine Year of Mfg. 2001
Regards
G S Bhurjee
Prompt action over the matter will be highly appriciated
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WANT A CODE TO CHEAT ATM
email: skynetal@yahoo.com
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CASH MACHINE HACK
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Re: Do you people honestly believe....
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Re: Turning $20's into Orange Jumpsuits
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I love it.
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Re: Good for you...
1.) kill yourself for using "q" for "g"
2.) don't say "like buy me stuff". That makes your race seem even more ignorant.
3.) please for the love of god don't get an idea from this thread. Knowing you jiggaboos. You'll probably try it and get caught.
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Re: And here's the manual
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