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ATM Robber Malware Turns ATM into Slot Machine to Dispense Cash Automatically

ATM hijacking malware dubbed WinPot turns the ATMs into a slot machine, which starts dispensing the cash based on SPIN button.

Security researchers from Kaspersky observed the emergence of the WinPot malware, the malware appeared first in the underground markets in March 2018.

Threat actors designed the malware to automatically dispense the cash automatically form the valuable cassettes, researchers call it as ATMPot.

WinPot

Attackers designed a clear slot machine-like interface with cassette numbered between 1 to 4 and with a button named SPIN, as soon as the SPIN button is pressed the ATM starts dispensing cash associated with the cassette.

Along with the SPIN button, the interface contains another SCAN button that scans the ATM and update the slots. “We found WinPot to be an amusing and interesting ATM malware family, so we decided to keep a close eye on it”, reads secure list blog post.

The threat actors behind WinPot constantly updating the new samples with modification to evade detection and to track the ATM machines.

The malware also available in underground markets for sale and the price varies between 500 – 1000 USD. Another seller advertised WinPot v.3 along with demo videos and the unidentified called ShowMeMoney, researchers assume that is a new name of WinPot.

The ATM cash-out malware mechanism remains the same, but the cybercriminals bring many new modifications.

To trick the ATM security systems.
To overcome potential ATM limitations.
To find ways to keep the money mules from abusing their malware.
To improve the interface and error-handling routines.

“We thus expect to see more modifications of the existing ATM malware. The preferred way of protecting the ATM from this sort of threat is to have device control and process whitelisting software running on it,” Kaspersky says.