Security threats Toolkit
Story: Researchers hack 'tamper-proof' PIN terminals
drilling into the back of an autoteller
I'm not paid to do security in any way, as an amateur and customer of a bank, my thoughts:
Drilling into the back of an autoteller is detectable often I believe:
The back of the autoteller is either in a building or outside:
Outside they are normally clad in concrete and possibly also reinforced. Heavier drilling equipment, and more noise are more detectable. Also it's more difficult to be precise where the drill bit goes (necessary to avoid the antitamper measures)
If the back of the autoteller is inside a building it may be less well physically protected but there is the security of the building; daytime, the human supervision, and at night whatever alarms detectors &c the banks or shops use to protect the building. A break-in is usually detected.
I think the manufacturers sound complacent. And I don't buy their line that you need to be a cambridge boffin to make the hack work.
It sounds like security by obscurity. Skilled electronics engineers are available for hire and not all are squeaky clean.
I speculate the hack used an FPGA for cheapness, and to demonstrate reproducibility, not for speed of processing.
Would the researchers care to comment?
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