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How ATM Jackpotting Attacks Work—and How Banks Detect Them

ATM jackpotting compromises the machine’s dispenser controls. Learn how operators distinguish it from issuer-side cash-outs and detect suspicious access, software, and cash activity.
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ATM jackpotting compromises the ATM or its cash-dispensing controls so the machine can release cash without a normal, authorized customer transaction. Banks and ATM operators look for a combination of physical-access alerts, suspicious device or software activity, and unusual cash or machine status—not just one suspicious event.

That is different from an issuer-side “ATM cash-out,” in which criminals compromise a bank or payment processor and coordinate withdrawals using accounts or cards. The distinction matters because the systems and warning signs are different.

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What ATM jackpotting means

In jackpotting, the target is the ATM itself or the software and hardware path that controls its dispenser. A successful compromise can make the machine pay out outside the ordinary transaction and authorization process. The FBI’s February 19, 2026, U.S. advisory describes Ploutus malware abusing the eXtensions for Financial Services (XFS) software layer—the interface through which ATM software communicates with hardware—to issue dispensing commands without a card, customer account, or bank authorization. The FBI says the payout may happen quickly and may not be noticed until cash is missing. FBI FLASH, February 19, 2026

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The FBI reports 1,900 ATM jackpotting incidents since 2020, including more than 700 incidents and losses exceeding $20 million in 2025. Those are figures reported by the FBI for the incidents and losses in its advisory, not global totals. FBI FLASH

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How an ATM jackpotting attack works

Attackers gain access to the machine

The FBI describes documented methods that include opening an ATM’s face, removing and modifying its hard drive, replacing it with a prepared drive, or connecting an external device. These are methods cited in the FBI advisory, not a universal sequence for every attack. The advisory focuses on Windows-based ATMs and says the malware can interact directly with ATM hardware; it notes that the Ploutus family may work across manufacturers with limited adjustment when Windows is the exploited platform. FBI FLASH

Malware reaches the dispenser-control layer

Ordinary ATM transactions rely on software to process requests and communicate with components through interfaces such as XFS. In the FBI’s description, Ploutus abuses that control path so the dispenser can be commanded without following a normal customer transaction. This is why jackpotting is an ATM compromise rather than simply a stolen-card or compromised-account withdrawal.

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A separate U.S. Department of Justice account describes an alleged scheme involving reconnaissance, testing how an ATM responded to opening, installing malware by modifying or replacing a drive or using an external device, and sending commands to the Cash Dispensing Module. The DOJ also alleges that malware in that case was designed to delete evidence. Those are allegations about a particular case, not established facts about every defendant or jackpotting incident. U.S. Department of Justice case account

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Older attacks used other approaches

Europol’s 2016 description of the Tyupkin malware is a historical example in which attackers manipulated ATM cash cassettes and entered commands through the PIN pad. It illustrates that jackpotting methods can vary; current U.S. operational guidance is more directly represented by the FBI’s 2026 advisory. Europol: ATM malware increases and becomes more sophisticated

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Jackpotting versus an issuer-side ATM cash-out

“Cash-out” can refer to a different kind of attack. PCI Security Standards Council’s October 2020 interview describes coordinated operations against a bank or payment processor, involving access to card-management systems, changes to controls or account limits, and withdrawals using new or compromised accounts or cards. Such attacks generally exploit the issuer or processor environment rather than the ATM itself. PCI SSC interview on cash-out attacks

Comparison ATM jackpotting Issuer- or processor-side cash-out
Compromised system The ATM, its operating environment, or dispenser-control path. FBI The issuer or processor environment, such as card-management controls. PCI SSC
Payout path A command causes the machine to dispense cash outside a normal customer transaction. FBI Withdrawals are coordinated through accounts or cards, potentially after controls or limits are changed. PCI SSC
Useful monitoring Physical access, ATM device and software integrity, machine state, and cash status. Account and withdrawal velocity, card-management access, authorization changes, and suspicious network activity. PCI SSC
Relevant controls Site security, removable-device controls, approved software and integrity checks, and dispenser safeguards. Identity and access controls, transaction monitoring, limits, alerting, and rehearsed incident response. PCI SSC

Not every cluster of ATM withdrawals is jackpotting. A customer whose card or account is misused may be affected by account-based fraud, but in jackpotting the immediate target is the ATM’s cash-dispensing capability.

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How banks and ATM operators detect jackpotting

No single alert proves an attack. Operators need to correlate physical, endpoint, and operational signals. An unscheduled service-door opening followed by removable-media activity, a new process, and unexpected cash depletion is more compelling than any one event on its own.

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Physical and machine-state signals

  • A service door opens outside planned maintenance.
  • An ATM reports an unusual low-cash or no-cash state, or unexpectedly goes out of service.
  • A hard drive is removed or an unauthorized device is connected.
  • People repeatedly surveil, photograph, probe, or revisit ATMs, or test access and response times. The FDIC Office of Inspector General describes these as warning signs for bank staff; they are leads to investigate, not proof of a crime. FDIC OIG bank alert

Endpoint and software-integrity signals

ATM monitoring can flag unexpected executables, scripts, directories, remote-access tools or connections, abnormal autoruns, nonstandard services, removable-device events, unexpected file writes, and unusual process creation. The FBI recommends comparing the ATM against a controlled, trusted “gold image” of approved software and configuration files. As the FBI puts it: “Each ATM should be deployed from a controlled ‘gold image’ containing cryptographically verified executables, libraries, and configuration files approved by the vendor and the institution.” FBI FLASH

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Device-event logs have limits: a USB connection event can show that a device was connected without establishing that files were accessed or executed. The FBI also cautions that indicators should be vetted. Its listed filenames and hashes concern indicators observed on affected Windows ATMs and can become outdated; they should not be treated as universal signatures. FBI FLASH

Correlating logs rather than trusting one event

The FBI gives an example sequence of Windows events that may help reconstruct activity: USB insertion (Event 6416), file activity (4663), process execution (4688), service installation (4697), and cleared logs (1102). Whether an ATM records these events depends on its audit policy, configured System Access Control Lists (SACLs), and actual logging setup; the event numbers are not a guarantee that every machine will produce them. The FBI recommends targeted auditing of removable storage, controlled file access, and process creation, as well as centralized log retention where available. FBI FLASH

Controls that reduce risk and limit losses

Protect physical access

  • Use threat sensors, unique or changed locks, and coded maintenance-hatch access that triggers an alarm when the code is not entered.
  • Restrict or shield access to maintenance and cashbox areas; use tamper-resistant screws to secure the hard drive.
  • Cover ATM areas with cameras and preserve footage. FDIC OIG also recommends security gates and cameras or license-plate readers where appropriate. FBI FLASH FDIC OIG bank alert

Harden devices and software

  • Restrict removable devices and use device and software whitelisting.
  • Validate approved software with signatures and gold-image comparisons; consider disk encryption, firmware-integrity checks, and memory-integrity protections.
  • Track ATM components, use antimalware, restrict remote-access IP addresses, and disable or change default credentials.
  • Evaluate these controls against the specific ATM model and production environment with the vendor and institution’s security team. The FBI and FDIC OIG describe operator and bank controls, not a universal configuration that fits every machine. FBI FLASH FDIC OIG bank alert

Make payout contingent on trusted state

Track ATM state and use safeguards that can halt cash distribution or put an ATM out of service when multiple jackpotting indicators appear. The FBI recommends considering automatic shutdown or out-of-service status in response to a combination of indicators; operators should validate how that behavior affects legitimate transactions and recovery for their machines. FBI FLASH

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What operators should do when an ATM may be compromised

  1. Stop further access and payout. Close the ATM lane and treat the affected machine as a potential crime scene, following the institution’s incident-response procedures. FDIC OIG bank alert
  2. Preserve evidence. Retain surveillance footage, ATM and centralized logs, relevant device and software records, and forensic evidence; avoid changes that could destroy evidence unless needed to prevent immediate harm. Coordinate preservation with responders under the institution’s procedures. FDIC OIG bank alert FBI FLASH
  3. Report promptly. FDIC OIG advises contacting local law enforcement, the FBI/IC3, and FDIC OIG. FDIC OIG bank alert

For issuer-side cash-outs, the monitoring and response path is different: PCI SSC recommends transaction-velocity monitoring, 24/7 monitoring that includes file-integrity monitoring, immediate alerts, and practiced incident response. PCI SSC interview on cash-out attacks

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