Malware-wielding criminals "jackpotted" ATMs across the United States last year to walk away with $20 million in stolen cash.
The FBI, tracking that collective haul, warned ATM operators that these malware-fueled attacks are on the rise. Of the 1,900 ATM jackpotting attacks in U.S. cataloged since 2020, 700 of them - or one-third - occurred last year.
Jackpotting or cash-out attacks involve tricking an ATM into disgorging cash, typically after infecting it with a strain of malware that gives an attacker full control of the device.
A well-known strain of malware called Ploutus is among the types of malicious code being used in these hit. The malware "attacks the ATM itself rather than customer accounts, enabling fast cash-out operations that can occur in minutes and are often difficult to detect until after the money is withdrawn," according to a Thursday flash alert issued by the FBI.
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