Category Archives: All About Skimmers

How to Avoid Card Skimmers at the Pump

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Previous stories here on the proliferation of card-skimming devices hidden inside fuel pumps have offered a multitude of security tips for readers looking to minimize their chances of becoming the next victim, such as favoring filling stations that use security cameras and tamper-evident tape on their pumps. But according to police in San Antonio, Texas, there are far more reliable ways to avoid getting skimmed at a fuel station. Continue reading How to Avoid Card Skimmers at the Pump→

Detecting Cloned Cards at the ATM, Register

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Much of the fraud involving counterfeit credit, ATM debit and retail gift cards relies on the ability of thieves to use cheap, widely available hardware to encode stolen data onto any card’s magnetic stripe. But new research suggests retailers and ATM operators could reliably detect counterfeit cards using a simple technology that flags cards which appear to have been altered by such tools. Continue reading Detecting Cloned Cards at the ATM, Register→

Would You Have Spotted This Skimmer?

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When you realize how easy it is for thieves to compromise an ATM or credit card terminal with skimming devices, it’s difficult not to inspect or even pull on these machines when you’re forced to use them personally — half expecting something will come detached. For those unfamiliar with the stealth of these skimming devices and the thieves who install them, read on. Continue reading Would You Have Spotted This Skimmer?→

Drug Charges Tripped Up Suspects In First Known ATM “Jackpotting” Attacks in the US

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On Jan. 27, 2018, KrebsOnSecurity published what this author thought a scoop about the first known incidence of U.S. ATMs being hit with “jackpotting” attacks, a crime in which thieves deploy malware that forces cash machines to spit out money like a l… Continue reading Drug Charges Tripped Up Suspects In First Known ATM “Jackpotting” Attacks in the US→

First ‘Jackpotting’ Attacks Hit U.S. ATMs

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ATM “jackpotting” — a sophisticated crime in which thieves install malicious software and/or hardware at ATMs that forces the machines to spit out huge volumes of cash on demand — has long been a threat for banks in Europe and Asia, yet these attacks somehow have eluded U.S. ATM operators. But all that changed this week after the U.S. Secret Service quietly began warning financial institutions that jackpotting attacks have now been spotted targeting cash machines here in the United States. Continue reading First ‘Jackpotting’ Attacks Hit U.S. ATMs→

Anti-Skimmer Detector for Skimmer Scammers

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Crooks who make and deploy ATM skimmers are constantly engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with financial institutions, which deploy a variety of technological measures designed to defeat skimming devices. The latest innovation aimed at tipping the scales in favor of skimmer thieves is a small, battery powered device that provides crooks a digital readout indicating whether an ATM likely includes digital anti-skimming technology. Continue reading Anti-Skimmer Detector for Skimmer Scammers→

Would You Use This ATM?

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One basic tenet of computer security is this: If you can’t vouch for a networked thing’s physical security, you also cannot vouch for its cybersecurity. That’s because in most cases, networked things really aren’t designed to foil a skilled and determined attacker who can freely connect his own devices. So you can imagine my shock and horror seeing a Cisco switch and wireless antenna sitting exposed atop of an ATM out in front of a bustling grocery store in my hometown of Northern Virginia. Continue reading Would You Use This ATM?→

How to Spot Ingenico Self-Checkout Skimmers

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A KrebsOnSecurity story last month about credit card skimmers found in self-checkout lanes at some Walmart locations got picked up by quite a few publications. Since then I’ve heard from several readers who work at retailers that use hundreds of thousands of these Ingenico credit card terminals across their stores, and all wanted to know the same thing: How could they tell if their self-checkout lanes were compromised? This post provides a few pointers. Continue reading How to Spot Ingenico Self-Checkout Skimmers→

ATM Insert Skimmers In Action

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KrebsOnSecurity has featured several recent posts on “insert skimmers,” ATM skimming devices made to fit snugly and invisibly inside a cash machine’s card acceptance slot. I’m revisiting the subject again because I’ve recently acquired how-to videos produced by two different insert skimmer peddlers, and these silent movies show a great deal more than words can tell about how insert skimmers do their dirty work. Continue reading ATM Insert Skimmers In Action→

Mir Islam – the Guy the Govt Says Swatted My Home – to be Sentenced June 22

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On March 14, 2013 our humble home in Annandale, Va. was “swatted” — that is to say, surrounded by a heavily-armed police force that was responding to fraudulent reports of a hostage situation at our residence. Later this month the government will sentence 21-year-old hacker named Mir Islam for that stunt and for leading a criminal conspiracy allegedly engaged in a pattern of swatting, identity theft and wire fraud. Continue reading Mir Islam – the Guy the Govt Says Swatted My Home – to be Sentenced June 22→