None of us will be surprised by an ATM (ATM). Even people of the older generation gradually got used to this device and are able to somehow withdraw their pension. However, among other things, an ATM is an extremely interesting thing from a technical and organizational point of view. Even bank employees (including those related to payment cards) they don’t always imagine the intricacies of his work. In my past life, I was involved with payment cards and ATM servicing for many years. I had the opportunity to warm it up with a hairdryer and pick out piece by piece the mouse’s blood from the intestine, stuck in an embrace with banknotes. He even burned down one of the controlled ATMs. Twice. Therefore, I will share some, in my opinion, interesting technical nuances in the operation of ATM.

Unfortunately, the main focus of this activity of mine fell on the period when even a 0.3 MP camera in a phone was a considerable luxury - therefore, I have practically no photographs of my own.

40 bills

The ATM dispenses no more than 40 bills at a time. This is due to the feed mechanism itself. Therefore, when withdrawing money from an ATM, if it displays “ Banknotes available: 50, 200“- and you need to withdraw a large amount - you can immediately estimate how much maximum money the ATM can give you. If you try to enter more than 40 banknotes, the ATM will think about it and refuse. And you'll be left wondering why.

30 seconds

The response interval for each operation after a client action should be no more than 30 seconds. This is a requirement of international payment systems. The client inserted the card - you can think for 29 seconds and give an answer. Selected a menu item - again you can think. And so on. Previously, when the connection was not particularly good, this was an important moment. Now it’s easier with this.

White Supervisor Card

Yes - exactly like that. Comes with every ATM included. Like regular cards, it also has a PIN code and expiration date.
May also work with other ATMs. I can’t give detailed information here - by mistake I used a card from one ATM for another ATM of mine and it worked - that’s how it should be or does it work within the same PC (processing center)- Don't know. Apparently I should have gone to an ATM of another bank and checked. But I didn’t feel like sitting.
So - the card is required to perform collection/audit of the ATM and some technical functions - you can issue as many bills as you like from cassettes , open the dispensing door, blink indicators and displays, etc. If you entered the code on your card incorrectly three times, it will be blocked until the next day.

Brain

In addition to the "system unit" (let's call it that) The ATM keyboard, card reader unit and display all have their own brains. You can’t just pick up and connect the parts of one ATM to another. When connecting new devices, you must enter cryptographic 3DES keys. They are written to these plug-in devices and allow them to work with that particular ATM. The keys come in 2 envelopes (same as PIN envelopes for regular cards) containing a sequence of numbers. Two people each receive an envelope and enter the keys.

Cash cassettes

An ATM usually has 4-6 cassettes with banknotes. The cassette holds ~2.5 thousand banknotes. Each cassette is configured for a specific banknote. Therefore, even if the cassettes are swapped in places during ATM collection, the chip is still in the cassette and will not allow money to be issued from there. The other side of the coin is that if you load fifty dollars into a cassette for twenties, then (with a fair amount of luck - if the characteristics of the bills are more or less similar) The ATM will begin to issue banknotes of higher denominations. The ATM cashier and the cash register manager can immediately fork out money and cover the shortfall. This also happened...

Rejection cassette

Sticky banknotes, banknotes that the ATM does not like for one reason or another, as well as money that you did not take from the dispensing slot are thrown into the rejection cassette. It is half the size of the standard one.

The ATM can be cold

The outdoor ATM is 100% waterproof. However, it is sensitive to cold. Early ATM models did not have the “Russian Winter” package of heating elements, and therefore when the outside temperature dropped below 10-15 degrees (freezing), the ATM began to act up. This is especially true when the ATM is in a display case and its front (inner) part actually also rests against the display case and freezes. ATM may not turn on at all, because diagnostics is indignant and requires heat for the ATM (note to the hostess: in order for the ATM to start, you need to blow a hairdryer on the temperature sensor at this moment). The mechanism for issuing money and other amenities may not work.

Seized cards

People leave their cards at the ATM. Sometimes by accident, sometimes by entering the PIN code incorrectly three times, sometimes you withdraw money, the voltage disappears - the ATM turns off and that’s it... then by choice - you cost as much as you can and wait for your card (which, which is typical, when tension appears, will come out - and if not you, then someone will pick it up if they have time) or you go home, and the ATM will then take the card to you. Often no one applied for cards. Over the course of several years, we have collected a fair collection of cards from different banks. Incl. foreign.

Old ATMs

In 2002-2004, quite a lot of used ATMs were brought to Ukraine from Europe/USA. Here they were brought into divine shape, serviced and sold to banks. They were approximately 8-12 times cheaper (5-8 thousand dollars) new modern ATMs (80-110 thousand dollars). They worked, frankly, lousy, but... the card business was still in its infancy and income was small (ATMs are installed not for their own clients, but for strangers)– not all banks could afford new ATMs in the required volumes. Therefore, they installed what was cheaper. The ATM had old CRT monitors with faded emblems of European banks (previous owners). The kosher operating system for ATM at that time was OS/2.

ATM safe

It stores cash cassettes and a rejection cassette. It is usually a safe with a key and a rotary wheel. The wheel code needs to be changed regularly. It is very unpleasant when, when you change the code and close the door, you realize that the code does not match and the safe will no longer open.

Checks

The printers used are dot matrix (old ATM models) and thermal printers. Paper tape for receipts - in reels. Usually 2-5 thousand checks on a reel. The problem with matrix ones is that it’s difficult to find cartridges. The problem with thermal printers is that when it’s cold and you’re heating the ATM with a hairdryer, if you hit the receipt tape with a stream of air, there will be a black tape.

Mouse

Winter. The ATM was located in a bank branch, but in a distant empty room, and faced out the window. Cold. The mouse found a loophole (there are many of them in ATM - cable supply) and climbed inside to warm up. As a result, the money supply mechanism pressed her heartily. I ended up there because... the ATM stopped working and bloody money was sticking out of the rejection cassette. I had to disassemble half of the ATM to get what was left of the mouse and three torn bills. She died a brave death, but had money.

If the article was interesting, I can continue the topic about banking hardware.

Knowledge of the principles of operation of an ATM is necessary for every person due to the fact that now there are practically no people who do not have to deal with “smart machines” located on the streets and indoors. Most often, they are used to withdraw money from a card account. has been going on for the last 20 years and is now at the peak of its popularity.

The history of the ATM begins in 1967, when Scotsman John Shepherd-Barron was unable to withdraw money from his account due to the fact that the bank branch was not working at that time. The man proposed to make life easier for all future generations of bank clients and employees. To do this, it was necessary to organize a “money dispensing machine” on the same principle as vending machines with chocolates.

How does an ATM operate?

All ATMs are devices that read and process information. Each ATM is subject to a common computer network for its group, also called processing. Processing belongs to the bank that owns the ATM, or to a separate service provider with whom the bank has a cooperation agreement.

When you start using the ATM, the device checks the customer's card for authenticity. First of all, the code printed on the magnetic strip is read and transferred to processing. Already during processing, the code from the magnetic stripe is compared with information about the account holder - the account number and password that gives access to it are determined. The user is asked to enter a PIN code, which, if it matches the real account password, allows the client to make transactions with the money in the account.

When withdrawing money, an electronic transfer is sent from the bank to the processing account. Upon completion of this operation, processing gives the ATM an order to issue the required amount to the user.

The ATM's connection to processing is similar to that used by Internet service providers. It is carried out either through telephone lines or through specially created dedicated routes.

In addition to the information described above, during operation, the ATM sends information about its operation to processing: that the money has run out, etc.

The device can be divided into two parts: user and safe. As a rule, the safe is located in the lower part and contains from two to five cassettes, each of which can hold 2-3 thousand banknotes. Each cassette is customizable for any type of banknote as its width and height can be adjusted. Each cassette is sealed and locked with a special key before being handed over to collectors. Collection lasts from 15 to 30 minutes.

The secure note dispensing system ensures that only the correct notes in the correct quantity are issued to the user. First, the cassette feeder makes sure that the banknote does not “drag” others along with it. After this, a special device checks the bill for compliance with the size using sensors. After sorting, the bills are sent to a diverter, from which high-quality banknotes are sent to the dispensing window, and torn, stuck together and damaged ones are dumped into a special diverter cassette.

It should be remembered that those banknotes that the user did not pick up from the dispenser within 30 seconds also fall into this cassette. It should be remembered that the entire amount needed by the user appears in the dispensing window at once, and until each of the banknotes passes the algorithm described above, the ATM will not give money.

The upper part of the ATM is designed for user interaction with the system. A card reader is also located here - a device that accepts a card, reads information from it and returns it to the user, as well as receipt and journal printers. The first is designed to print customer receipts, while the second carefully records all events occurring with the ATM, including the disbursement of funds.

Information obtained during ATM operation must be stored for two years. The ATM is also equipped with a security module that encodes the PIN code, preventing it from being visible on the screen. Devices visible to the user: monitor, speaker, indicator lights, and keyboard, if available.

• The ATM dispenses up to 40 banknotes in one session;
• money must be withdrawn within 30 seconds so that it is not dumped into the divert cassette by the ATM;
• street ATMs are not protected from the cold - at temperatures of 10-15 degrees and below they begin to become “stupid”, taking a long time to solve the problem, making errors in operation and not even dispensing money to the user. That is why it is recommended during the cold season to use only those ATMs that are installed in heated rooms.
• one ATM uses more than 100 kg of steel, which reliably protects them even from a 22-ton impact;
• if an ATM is hacked, all the bills will be damaged with special paint, so fraudsters do not use hacking to extract money; instead, they install all kinds of readers and adhesive tapes on ATMs that retain banknotes;
• There is a widely known myth according to which dialing the PIN code in reverse order allows you to get help during a robbery near an ATM. In fact, this is not so: the idea was patented, but not a single bank has acquired the patent since 1998.

Rules for safe use of ATMs

Not only a bank employee can easily get inside an ATM

Photo: Positive Technologies

On May 26 and 27 in Moscow, at the international conference Positive Hack Days (phdays.ru), an unusual hacker competition will be held: its participants will hack an ATM. The organizers of these competitions told the Banki.ru portal about modern attacks on ATMs, as well as how to protect against these threats.

A roundabout way to the safe

Everyone has probably heard that ATMs are often blown up, opened with grinders, and taken away. These cases are in plain sight. The bank will not be able to keep an incident of this kind a secret. But in reality, ATMs are much more often hacked “quietly”, using various sociotechnical skills, rather than destructive methods.

One of our acquaintances who works at a bank said that there were no meter changes on one of their ATMs for some time. When the collectors came to collect the ATM a couple of weeks later, they saw that the cassettes were empty. According to the counter, the amount of money in the cassettes was normal, but in reality there was no money there. We started watching the video surveillance footage and saw that a man came, opened the top compartment of the ATM, inserted something inside, closed the ATM and left. The video quality was not sufficient to see what he inserted and how he opened the ATM.

Let's try to figure out how this is done. The money is in a safe and well protected (according to banks and ATM manufacturers). The safe is a “sandwich” made of steel and concrete, more than 1 cm thick. Depending on the burglary resistance, it is equipped with a reliable lock: usually a lever lock, a dial lock or an electronic combination lock. To open such a safe, you either need to have a set of codes and keys, or enlist the help of a “safeguard” who will perform this task using special tools.

However, the ATM also has a service area where the system unit and various peripheral devices are located. This part of the ATM is closed by a plastic case with one simple lock. Moreover, some ATM manufacturers installed the same locks, which can be opened with the same key, for ease of maintenance. Now vendors and banks are moving away from this practice, but there are still ATMs that can be opened with the key from any other ATM of the same bank. And the castles there are still simple.

There is no money in the service area, but there are a lot of interesting possibilities for managing the ATM subsystems, including those located in the safe. So, let's try!

Preparing a hack

To begin with, we decided to use the interfaces that are located outside the ATM. We took a Raspberry Pi microcomputer, connected it to a battery, a Wi-Fi adapter, and wrote several hacking programs. Finding documentation describing ATM interfaces was not difficult.

The equipment of ATMs and payment terminals, regardless of the manufacturer, has a common API (programming interface - editor's note) for accessing and managing modules and runs on the Windows platform in accordance with the unified extension standard for financial services XFS.

By knowing the API, you can gain control over the ATM computer and directly control various peripheral devices. Some of these devices interested us in the first place.

ATM keyboard (pinpad). It works in two modes: protected, in which the PIN code is entered and transmitted to the ATM computer in encrypted form, and open, which is used to enter the withdrawal amount and other information. An XFS manager installed on a computer can force the pinpad to switch between modes, which could allow attackers to receive the PIN codes entered in unencrypted form.

Card reader (card reader) can read data from the strip and write to it, and extract information from the EMV chip - for example, data on previously completed transactions.

Dispenser, money dispenser, the most interesting for a hacker. It can be used to control the movement of money, for example from cash cassettes to reject cassettes, unlock cassettes, issue banknotes without authorization, and even open a safe if it is equipped with an electronic lock.

All these devices are managed by a program running on the ATM computer - the XFS manager.

One would assume that strong authentication is implemented here and access to the XFS manager is well protected. In fact, there is no question of any authentication. Specifications can be found on the Internet. Exclusive access is implemented, but not for security, but only so as not to break the delicate ATM hardware - for example, so as not to simultaneously send two commands to dispense banknotes from the dispenser.

The XFS standard was developed by Microsoft, which explains why many ATMs still run Windows XP. About a year ago, at the beginning of 2014, 95% of all ATMs in the world were running Windows XP. However, support for this operating system ended in April 2014. That is, ATMs managed by Windows XP have a huge number of known vulnerabilities that will never be fixed.

There are ATMs in which the system unit is stored in the safe itself. This is good from a security point of view, but it does not always save – after all, the port for communication with the network still goes outside, and this is already a vector of attacks.

Take, for example, the well-known vulnerability MC08-067. In some ATMs it may be closed, since it is no longer new, but there are other similar vulnerabilities. It allows you to gain administrator rights when connecting to a computer on a network. We take our Raspberry Pi and connect it to the network port of the ATM system unit. Moreover, we don’t even need to open the service area; we can use the external port that serves to connect the ATM to the network. We connect to the Paspberry Pi itself via Wi-Fi and run the exploit program for MC08-067 on it. A console appears where we can enter commands for the ATM computer. With a few key presses you can force the ATM to dispense a small amount of money.

On average, an ATM has four cassettes with 2.5–3 thousand banknotes each. It’s easy to calculate that with a standard load, the ATM could end up with more than 10 million rubles. They can be pulled out by exploiting various vulnerabilities, which, as stated above, will never be fixed.

Bypassing the defense

Suppose the bank did not skimp on protecting the operating system: it installed an antivirus or some kind of integrity monitoring system that prevents us from running arbitrary code. But if we have access to the service area, we are not afraid of any protection. We don’t need an ATM computer at all; we will work through physical interfaces.

ATM peripherals such as card reader, dispenser and pin pad are connected to the computer via COM or USB ports. COM is a standard serial interface; it does not require any special drivers or authorization. Transmission protocols are not protected, they can be easily listened to and replayed (transmit recorded data sequences. - Ed.) with minor changes.

True, there are many protocols there. Each new device firmware brings a new protocol. Analyzing them is not easy, and there is little information on this topic on the Internet. But it is known, for example, that the COM port does not support command sequence control. That is, we can repeat a single command or chain of commands. It is also known that the loss of connection between the device and the port is not detected: if we disconnect the dispenser from the ATM for 5–10 seconds, the ATM, in principle, will not be able to understand this.

In addition, the protocols either use a fixed data size for packets, use start/stop bytes to separate packets from each other, or use a length prefix and send the data together. After analyzing the intercepted data, you can understand what sequence means “issue one bill from the first cassette.” Simply and easily. No authorization is required for such actions.

You can just as easily turn an ATM into a hardware skimmer that takes data and transfers it to an attacker - after all, bank card data is transmitted in clear text between the ATM and the card reader. If we place our Raspberry Pi inside an ATM, such a skimmer basically cannot be seen from the outside.

Of course, ATM manufacturers and banks claim that they have long abandoned COM ports and their ATMs only use an encrypted USB connection. In fact, this only applies to new, recently purchased ATMs. Tens of thousands of old ATMs are still in use.

Who is to blame and what to do

ATM manufacturers offer protective equipment: antiviruses, integrity monitoring systems, systems to prevent application launches. They are definitely useful. At the same time, with the help of a screwdriver or a service key, in a couple of minutes (even an alarm won’t help - we’ll do everything and leave before the security arrives) we get direct access to the computer and the ability to use all kinds of exploits on it. Defense must be layered.

Constant two-way authentication is required between the ATM computer and its peripheral devices. Cryptography will not always save you here - vulnerabilities can be found in every encrypted protocol.

We also propose to revise the XFS standard in favor of increasing its security. The current situation is extremely deplorable. If it is possible to execute the code and also contact the XFS manager, then we have full control over the ATM periphery.

It is necessary to regularly conduct a system analysis of ATM security, including penetration testing, checking the external perimeter, testing the ATMs themselves and their connections to processing.

Olga KOCHETOVA, expert of the banking systems security department of Positive Technologies, Alexey OSIPOV, senior expert of the penetration testing department of Positive Technologies, for Banki.ru

How an ATM works: basic principles and interesting facts. Photo: Daily Telegraph

Today, devices that are found on almost every corner and for many serve as the only way to cash out their funds from a bank account are celebrating their 50th anniversary. We are all accustomed to ATMs, but have you ever thought about how this device works? Over the past 20 years, ATMs have become especially firmly established in our everyday life. So knowing their history and how they are structured and on what principle they work is simply necessary.

The first ATM appeared in 1967 in north London. It was installed by the English bank Barclays. The device was developed by Scotsman John Shepherd-Barron, who once was unable to withdraw money from his bank account simply because the bank branch was closed. So John was inspired by the chocolate vending machine, suggested putting money in the machine instead of sweets, and made life easier for all the next generations.

The first ATM introduced by the English bank Barclays on June 27, 1967. Source: GeekTimes

How an ATM works: basic principles

It is primarily a device for processing information. Any ATM is connected to a computer center (processing), which manages a specific ATM network. The network itself may belong to either a specific bank or a separate service provider.

First, the machine checks the authenticity of your card. To do this, the ATM has two readers: the first looks for a special code on the magnetic stripe of the card to confirm its validity. The second device calculates the user's account number and password to verify the entered PIN. Once the system confirms the password, the ATM contacts your bank through the processing center, sends requests to it and carries out the client’s “orders”.

If the user wants to withdraw money, then the processing makes an electronic transfer of the required amount from the user’s bank account to his own. Immediately after the transfer is completed, the computer center instructs the ATM to dispense the money.

The issuing bank is the bank that issued the card; acquiring bank - the bank that owns the ATM

To connect the ATM with processing, either simple telephone lines are used, the connection to which is made via a modem, or dedicated ones. Thus, the operation of an ATM is similar to that of Internet service providers.

In addition to customer requests, the ATM also sends all information about its operation to the computer center: it warns in advance that the money has run out, informs about a malfunction, and about any errors that have arisen.

What does an ATM consist of?

The ATM consists of two main parts: the upper, or user, and the lower, or safe. At the bottom there is a device for issuing money - a dispenser (the window for issuing bills is also called a dispenser). The safe contains several cassettes for storing banknotes (can be from two to five). Typically, two to three thousand banknotes are loaded into the cassette. They can also be customized for any type of banknote, to a specific note length and width. After loading money into the cassette, the latter is closed with a special key, sealed and issued to collectors. The collection process usually takes 15-30 minutes.

This is what an ATM looks like, the functions of which also include accepting banknotes

A banknote travels a long way before appearing in the window in front of a waiting client. First, the feeder device, which is in each cassette, makes sure that one banknote does not accidentally get caught on another. Then a special Double Detect device checks incoming banknotes to ensure they comply with the client’s request: are they the right size, thickness, or are they skewed? All this is done using sensors. Next, the paper money goes into a diverter, which either sends it further to a storage device, or in case of some error, dumps the banknotes into a special diverter cassette. It is intended for torn, stuck together, damaged banknotes. Money that the client has not collected from the pick-up window within a certain period of time also goes there. Only when the required amount is collected in the storage device is it given to the user. Don't forget to remember this all the next time you withdraw money from an ATM.

At the top of the ATM is its electronic filling - a computer. There is also a device for accepting and reading cards (card reader) and two printers: a receipt and a magazine. The first one is responsible for issuing customer checks, and the second one records everything that happens with the ATM on its tape. By the way, the ATM owner is required to store this information for two years. Also at the top there is a security module and a device that encodes information about the entered PIN code. The devices visible to the user are also located in this part: monitor, speaker, keyboard and indicator lights.

A box with money, also known as a cash machine, also known as an ATM. Photo: Reddit

• The ATM can dispense no more than 40 banknotes per transaction.
• The money dispensed by the device must be withdrawn within 30 seconds, otherwise the ATM will take it back.
• Outdoor ATMs are 100% protected from moisture. But they are also sensitive to cold. At a temperature of 10-15 degrees below zero, they may not turn on, not issue money, take a long time to solve the problem, etc.
• ATMs are made from more than 100 kg of steel. They are able to withstand a 22-ton impact.
• If a thief gets inside the device, exploding ink containers will immediately ruin all the banknotes. Therefore, fraudsters most often use skimming devices that intercept card information, hidden cameras to spy on the PIN code, as well as adhesive tapes that hold banknotes at the time of issue.
• According to a common theory, if someone tries to rob you near an ATM, you need to dial your PIN code backwards. This is a myth, of course. The idea of ​​an inverted pin code existed and was patented by Joseph Singer in 1998. However, not a single bank was interested in buying this patent.

How to use ATMs safely

Basic tips for using ATMs safely are presented in the NBU infographics. Be careful!

As of January 1, 2011, there were 3,063 ATMs (or Automated teller machines - ATMs) operating in our country, of which 849 were in Minsk alone. The largest network, as expected, is that of Belarusbank (almost 1000 units in Belarus), the smallest is that of Fransabank (only 5 devices).

Every day millions of transactions are made through ATMs, and each of them is valuable for a person in the literal and figurative sense of the word. At the same time, ATMs are the object of increased attention from various types of thieves. It's no joke, inside one device there can be several hundred million rubles and tens of thousands of dollars.

In general, an ATM is a device of a special class. It must have several degrees of protection and perform its functions flawlessly.

- An ATM is a device that has a computer with an operating system; accordingly, it works as provided by the installed software,- says Viktor Kozich, deputy director of the Marko Plus company, which provides ATM services. - Therefore, it is impossible to call all installed devices identical; they often have slightly different functions and capabilities.

But, of course, the main purpose of an ATM is to dispense money. Experts say that the psychology of our person’s interaction with funds placed on a card account differs from that of Europeans. In simple terms, Belarusians still prefer to cash out all the funds available to them and store them in physical form, rather than trusting a piece of plastic. This affects the frequency of loading funds and servicing the ATM.

- Inside the device there are four cassettes for storing money, each of them holds 2000-2200 bills,- Viktor Kozich continues. - Depending on the denominations of banknotes loaded, the total amount stored in the ATM may vary.

Victor Kozich

By the way, in the banking networks there are record-breaking ATMs, where even such impressive amounts are spent within two days. This has been happening regularly throughout the years since the installation of ATM there - even the growth of non-cash payments has not contributed to the reduction in the need for cash.

Why is it profitable to install ATMs?

- Because they allow you to earn money and save on staff,- Valery Boyko, Deputy Director of the Department of Electronic Support and Sales Channels at Priorbank, enters the conversation. - Initially, we installed them for large payroll projects of large corporate customers, for example, in factories. This simplified the procedure for disbursing funds, freed up staff and made the process cheaper for the bank.

Another advantage of installing ATMs is earning money from them by servicing cardholders of other banks. Those very penny commissions charged for viewing a balance or cashing out funds in a “foreign” network, due to the massive scale of transactions, allow ATM owners to make a good profit. Judge for yourself: according to Valery Boyko, in just one month, 1.106 million cash withdrawal transactions (including 85 thousand on foreign cards) and 308 thousand payments are made at all Priora ATMs. By the way, the cost of the device is now about 100 million rubles.

Valery Boyko

In such a huge mass of transactions, there is always room for errors from the category of absurd accidents - a forgotten card, bills not removed from the holder, and other minor flaws. What to do in such a situation?

- Usually ATM leaves you 30-60 seconds to pick up your card and money,- Deputy Director of Marko Plus Viktor Kozich continues the story. - After the allotted time has passed, the card goes into a special compartment inside the device, and the money goes into the reset cassette. In this case, the client should contact his issuing bank and receive the card back after collection..

Viktor Kozich says that in most cases, bills that fall into the reset cassette are credited to the client’s account automatically. If the situation is ambiguous (for example, some of the bills were taken, some remained), an additional investigation is carried out, and the funds will be returned after all the circumstances are clarified.

Regarding the card, there are situations when, after being worn in the back pocket of trousers, it becomes deformed and on the way back from the bowels of the ATM it gets stuck in the track. In this case, the bank does not return it, but asks to get a new one.

There are also mistakes for which the bank itself is to blame. For example, once every couple of years a situation is recorded when an ATM dispenses twice as much money for a certain request. This is a consequence of the cassettes inside the device being mixed up. Usually such oddities are quickly resolved. The “lucky” owners of the increased amounts will have to part with their equivalents on the card account: the bank, of course, has “all moves recorded” in a log file.

Another option for an unfavorable development of the situation is that the stack of issued banknotes is too thick. For example, it may get stuck and not come out completely. Some of the bills again end up in the reset cassette, and after a little investigation, the funds will be returned to the owner.

Of course, not only its legal owners, but also criminals, are interested in the money inside the ATM. Therefore, an ATM is both a computer and a safe, which is not so easy to penetrate. Although attempts are made regularly.

- ATMs are usually installed in secure premises, shops, bank branches,- says Victor Kozich. - Yes, it can be opened using the “vandal” method, cutting it lengthwise and crosswise, but this will take a lot of time, and most importantly, it will be too noisy for such a delicate process.

The director of an ATM service company shows us the room where ATM repairs and setup take place. Cassettes with money look like boxes with tightly packed bills. By the way, the company uses a pack of 20-ruble banknotes as a test sample - a denomination that will never be available in Belarusian ATMs.

The lifespan of ATM is several years. They, like any mechanism, wear out faster with more frequent use, so in the most “fishy” places an ATM lasts two years. Then he is transported to a “quieter” place.

Almost every device is equipped with a video camera. It can operate in several modes, but in most cases the situation is constantly recorded at a certain frequency (for example, 1 second). If a card is inserted into the device, the camera switches to full recording mode. The video, by the way, is stored on a drive that is not connected to the main operating system, and you can even watch it remotely if you have an Internet channel of the appropriate “thickness.”

The image from the ATM camera is a valuable thing. According to experts, it is often requested by law enforcement agencies. True, more often we are talking about minor thefts: for example, someone takes a forgotten card and then uses it to pay in stores. A camera helps identify the thief.

ATMs operate in accordance with PCI DSS standards - these are requirements for the conditions of safe operation and maintenance of all devices that work with plastic cards. They include constant updating of anti-virus software, centralized logging and other measures that protect against theft of card data.

Another important component of ATM is devices for protection against carders (installation of covers on the card reader). All street ATMs are now equipped with them, and, apparently, for good reason. Viktor Kozich, in any case, did not remember the installation of thieves’ equipment on the card reader slot and the loss of client funds in connection with this.

ATMs are connected to a network - this allows you to monitor their condition and serviceability remotely, from a separate center. Marko Plus also has one: the company services 380 devices of Priorbank, Credexbank and Minsk Transit Bank.

The main type of errors are communication problems. ATMs “communicate” with the center both via dedicated ADSL lines and using VPN and data transfer in cellular networks. This is followed by spent receipt tape, software freezing, and cash depletion.

At Marco Plus they showed us this center. There are specialists here who can help in difficult situations. For example, if a card gets stuck, the customer will first call the issuing bank's call center and then likely be redirected here. It is important to note that a stuck card can sometimes be removed remotely by a monitoring center specialist. So don’t rush to move away from the ATM!

The statuses of all ATMs in the network are displayed on the screen of the shift attendant. He collects data, fills out requests and sends teams for repairs, maintenance, refilling the tape, etc. The service personnel are vitally interested in the timely elimination of problems: if the ATM is idle more than 5% of the time per month, the money for maintenance is the same “Marco Plus” won't receive it.

Concluding our study of the ATM industry, we note that there are only a few large manufacturers of such devices in the world. But what is more interesting in this matter is the fact that they tried to establish their assembly in Belarus. One working sample of a domestic ATM was installed at the entrance of the Minsk Computer Equipment Production Association, where, in fact, it was assembled; the second is near the IBA office. They were purchased by Belpromstroybank and underwent testing for a long time, but at the moment the project has essentially been curtailed: there is no interest from financial institutions.