New Best Practices Guide Aim at ATM Malware

The ATM Industry Association has published a new best practices document to help the ATM deployers prevent malware attacks on their terminals, according to a press release from the association.

"Best Practices for Preventing ATM Malware, Black Box and Cyber-Attacks" explains how ATM malware works — from installation to execution — and how to detect it.

The manual includes major international ATM malware case studies such as Skimer-A; Scrooge; Siberian Malware; Dump Memory Grabber; Backdoor Ploutus; and Macau Malware. Additionally, the manual looks at black box attacks and ATM control and authorization systems hijacking.

The best practices guide also shares key mitigation strategies, as well as useful links, background reading and relevant standards documentation.

ATMIA CEO Mike Lee said that the new antimalware best practices guide serves as a companion manual to v.3 of ATMIA's "ATM Software Security Best Practices," which was published last fall.

"['ATM Software Security Best Practices'] provided in-depth analysis of software architectures, standards compliance, risks and mitigation factors relevant to ATM software and systems," he said.

"But we decided to provide a shorter, stand-alone manual for our members to help prevent the most serious and urgent cyber threats. We can radically combat cyber fraud if we stand together and implement all the guidelines across every market."

Contributors to the new document include technical editor Douglas Russell of DFR Risk Management Ltd.; Juan Jesus Leon Cobos of GMV; and Irmantas Brazaitis of Smart Card Security Ltd. Lee also thanked contributors to the software security guide from which the new document evolved.