The ongoing battle to keep ATMs secure

If you want to get a crash course in criminal behavior, go to Google (or preferably ATM marketplace) and type the words ATM crime. You will find story after story of criminals using chains, hooks, bombs or many other tools to steal or break into an ATM.

But it isn't just physical attacks as criminals are also using techniques ranging from software attacks and advanced card skimmers to drones to target ATMs. And, if the ATM itself is too tough of a target, criminals will instead rob people at an ATM, or more lucratively rob from service workers who carry around large quantities of cash to replenish the machines.

The topic of security was top of mind for attendees and panelists at the ATMIA conference, held in early February in New Orleans, Louisiana. There was a wide variety of perspectives on how to prevent or mitigate the attacks.

On the show floor, I saw a wide variety of solutions to try to prevent attacks ranging from barriers to hardware battery powered solutions that alert authorities when a criminal tries to insert a skimmer. Another service I saw was the Intelligent Bank Note Neutralization System, which produces an indelible ink that is traceable, as well as cassette trackers to track cash cassettes if they are stolen from an ATM or service workers.

However, a big issue at play here is that the ATM industry isn't the lone industry devising solutions to ATM security issues. Criminals are also collaborating to figure out ways to exploit weaknesses in the machines.

During a panel, Matt Nollau, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, discussed how criminals are sharing data. In Europe criminals hold, "classes on how to blow up ATMs" and share tutorials online.

Criminals are also beginning to move away in the U.S. from hook and chain attacks to more dangerous methods, such as gas and pipe bombs. Nollau said this follows the same trend in Europe as criminals began changing their tactics in response to new security measures from banks and ATM vendors.

On the service side of the equation, organized criminals are using various methods to gather information and find the right moment to strike.

In another ATMIA panel talk, Brad Moody, EVP of operations at Lower Risk Group, said criminals are showing up in larger armed groups to attack ATM service workers and "shoot first, ask questions later."

In particular, Moody said these groups may tail service people for a month to find weaknesses in behavior, such as whether they leave bags of cash in open view. They also may attempt to get a job as a service workers themselves, so they can find an opportunity to steal cash.

Mary Pifer, VP of global marketing and product management at 3SI Security Systems, said criminals may even cause service issues to the ATM, so that a workers will be called out to the site and robbed.

With all these issues in mind, is there a way to stop all of this criminal activity?

Yes, there are certainly ways to mitigate it, such as bank note neutralization systems, GPS tracking solutions and training and hiring programs for service workers and other methods. However, ultimately there is no one method that will stop all of it.

"There is no silver bullet," Matt Snow, head of cash and ATM operations at Regions Bank, said during a panel.

The key to success will be to embrace a far more basic tactic: communication. Banks, vendors, deployers, service companies and law enforcement all need to communicate and work closely together to close up gaps and find tactics to deal with these efforts.

Snow said if everyone, "participate[s] in the information," then they can all, "defeat the bad guys together."