ATM Marketplace: October Top 5

October was another busy month for ATM Marketplace. We went to Rome for the ATM Industry Association European conference, Oct. 15-17, enjoyed plenty of espresso, heaps of pasta and met with some of the wonderful folks at ATMIA. (In case you are wondering, their next European conference is going to be in Berlin.)

Popular stories this month included two on security — always a hot topic — and two from the ATMIA conference in Rome. 

Here's the countdown...

5) ATMIA CEO Q&A: 'Cash and digital payments need to coexist' 

ATM Marketplace spoke with ATMIA CEO Mike Lee in Rome. A futurist, Lee is an important part of the next-gen ATM initiative and a fierce advocate of cash. We recommend reading the full Q&A to anyone who wants to learn more about the war on cash and the future of ATMs. 

4) Can Linux improve ATM security?

Most ATMs run on Windows, requiring regular, costly upgrades. Wind River's Rick Anderson talks about the potential of running Linux on ATMs, and how that could improve security. Because Linux is open source, a lot of eyes are on the code all the time. Also, Linux has fewer lines of code, resulting in a smaller attack vector. 

3) Spain’s CaixiaBank reports success with facial recognition at ATMs

Earlier this year, CaixiaBank began trying out facial recognition at a handful of its ATMs, so that users wouldn't have to enter PINs. Six months into the pilot, the lender is reporting encouraging results, and it's ready to roll out biometrics on even more of its fleet. 

2) Video: IBM white hat hacker demonstrates how to jackpot ATM

A lot of ATMs are still running outdated versions of Windows. That's a problem, because it makes them more vulnerable to hacks. In this CNET video, Charles Henderson, global head of IBM's X-Force Red security team, shows how easy it is to jackpot an ATM running Windows XP.  

1) Mexico's new QR-based payments system. Will it succeed?

In late September, Mexico's central bank rolled out CoDi, a new digital payments system, with the hope of bringing the country's unbanked into the formal financial system. In our top story of the month, blogger Bernardo Batiz-Lazo describes how the system works and tells us what impact it could potentially have on ATMs.