A confidential U.S. Secret Service alert sent to banks said the hackers targeted stand-alone ATMs typically located in pharmacies, big box retailers and drive-thru ATMs.
Diebold Nixdorf Inc and NCR Corp, two of the world’s largest ATM makers, have warned that cybercriminals are targeting U.S. cash machines with tools that force them to spit out cash in hacking schemes known as “jackpotting.”
The two ATM makers did not identify any victims or say how much money had been lost. Jackpotting has been rising worldwide in recent years, though it is unclear how much cash has been stolen because victims and police often do not disclose details.
The attacks were reported earlier on Saturday by the security news website Krebs on Security, which said they had begun last year in Mexico.
The companies confirmed to Reuters on Saturday they had sent out the alerts to clients.
NCR said in a Friday alert that the cases were the first confirmed “jackpotting” losses in the United States. It said its equipment had not been targeted in the recent attacks, but that it was still a concern for the entire ATM industry.