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ATM Security: How Banks Can Effectively Protect Their Self-Service Devices

Niklas Damhofer

Niklas Damhofer

ATM Security Solutions

Flat-style illustration of ATM security, showing an ATM, two banking professionals with tablets and a clipboard, and a central shield with a lock symbol connected to icons for surveillance, alerts, secure chips, monitoring, and analytics to represent protecting self-service devices.

An ATM today is a networked computer with cash inside. That is exactly what makes it a target. The good news: get ATM security right and most attacks fail before they start. Europe proves the point. According to the European Association for Secure Transactions (EAST), confirmed ATM malware attacks across the region recently dropped to zero, largely thanks to the consistent rollout of hardening guidance. But there is no room for complacency. In the first half of 2025 alone, EAST recorded 613 physical attacks causing roughly 12.2 million US dollars in losses, plus 7,398 fraud attacks. Security remains an ongoing task, not a one-time fix.

Why Single Measures Are Not Enough

Self-service device networks face a growing range of threats: malware, unauthorized access, and tampering attempts directly at the machine. Relying on a single function, such as an antivirus scanner, leaves too many doors open. Effective ATM security therefore follows the principle of defense in depth: several coordinated layers of protection that together achieve a far higher level of security than any one measure on its own.

The Key Protection Layers at a Glance

A well-designed multilayered approach combines hardening, control, and integration across the entire device environment:

  • Endpoint hardening: protection through full disk encryption, Secure Boot, Trusted Boot, Credential Guard, and Device Guard.

  • Protection against jackpotting and malware: prevents unauthorized code execution and system manipulation, reinforced by early-boot protection and real-time scanning.

  • Strict configuration control: reduces the attack surface through USB restrictions, firewall rules, group policies, and BIOS/UEFI controls.

  • Network protection: blocks unauthorized devices by controlling certificates and identities, allowing only authorized traffic.

  • Vulnerability management: continuously detects weaknesses and prioritizes remediation.

KIXShield from SBS bundles exactly these layers into a multivendor solution that works independently of the hardware manufacturer.

Device-Specific Certificates as the Key

One often underestimated lever is device identity. With terminal-specific certificates, each device is protected exclusively, from the first step of technician certification through to final activation. The result is secure staging with full traceability. Tampered or foreign devices simply cannot be onboarded into the network in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions About ATM Security

What is jackpotting? In a jackpotting attack, criminals use malware or a black-box device to make an ATM dispense cash uncontrollably. Multilayered endpoint hardening is the most effective defense against it.

Is an antivirus solution enough on its own? No. Antivirus is one layer among many. Only the combination of hardening, access control, network protection, and monitoring closes the decisive gaps.

Does the solution work with devices from different manufacturers? Yes. A multivendor security solution protects mixed fleets independently of the hardware manufacturer and avoids vendor lock-in.

Conclusion: Security as an Ongoing Process

The European figures show that consistent hardening makes attacks significantly harder. Securing your self-service devices in layers reduces risk and operating costs at the same time. SBS supports banks and operators with KIXShield and hands-on consulting across the full lifecycle of your self-service devices. Talk to the team at info@sbs.co.at.

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