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Here is my take on it - I'm skeptical. Sure I'll believe that a number of ATMs are compromised. But it seems like every ATM he walked up to was broadcasting thi

by nadams 11y ago

Here is my take on it - I'm skeptical. Sure I'll believe that a number of ATMs are compromised. But it seems like every ATM he walked up to was broadcasting this. To me this seems like an, arguably exploitable, maintenance tool than a ring of ATM thieves. Free2Move appears to be a standard tool for serial over bluetooth [1]. He can't possibly be the first and only person to find this - so I attempted to google "free2move atm" and only his article shows up (about skimming). I'm not saying this is a fake article - but to me seems amateuristic for someone of his stature. I would have expected he would work with at least one authority figure to show that without a doubt an ATM is compromised - along with a tear down of the device. Also I'm not sure how I feel about him convincing people not to use an ATM that may or may not be compromised. If he did believe 100% it was compromised he should have talked to someone in management to have the ATM unplugged and serviced (that would make for an interesting article to see if they actually take him seriously and not just plug it back in when he leaves). My two cents... [1] http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cablematic-Free2Move-Bluetooth-Serial-F2M01SXA/dp/B008451VYW http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cablematic-Free2Move-Bluetooth-Seria...

mark212 11y ago
read the article. He did talk to people "in management" at a couple of places and only one took the suspect ATM offline. demanding that he "work with at least one authority figure" is a bit naive in Mexico.
- tertius 11y ago
  Only if you're not from Mexico and realized that their banking industry is robust and well regulated...
- nadams 11y ago
  > read the article. He did talk to people "in management" at a couple of places and only one took the suspect ATM offline. I don't think we read the same article. Maybe in the first one he did - but in the linked article all I see is him walking up and down streets looking for the bluetooth broadcast. I won't blindly believe that each of the ATMs he found broadcasting was exploited. I'm not saying I would use them nor would I recommend using one in Mexico - but just seeing a bluetooth signal isn't enough for me to assume that it's exploited. With all the sensational articles floating on the web - I'm just skeptical that's all. > demanding that he "work with at least one authority figure" is a bit naive in Mexico. I didn't demand it - I just expected it. Even though I'm sure there are a lot of bribes happening in Mexico - there has to be someone he can contact and work with that may or may not care.
  - morsch 11y ago
    It was in the first one, although the second article alludes to the fact that the hotel took the ATM offline, eventually. The first part also goes into some detail regarding the hardware and the fact that he was approached by an ATM firm. They'd probably know if the BT beacon was a maintenance tool. Having an openly visible BT signal emanate from your illicit snooping device seems amateurish on the face of it, but it does make connecting to it easier for technically challenged criminals, who I assume don't have a bachelor in CS or EE. They'll be happy to escalate to a harder to detect wireless signal if it becomes necessary.

by nadams 11y ago

mark212 11y ago

read the article. He did talk to people "in management" at a couple of places and only one took the suspect ATM offline. demanding that he "work with at least one authority figure" is a bit naive in Mexico.

tertius 11y ago
Only if you're not from Mexico and realized that their banking industry is robust and well regulated...
nadams 11y ago
> read the article. He did talk to people "in management" at a couple of places and only one took the suspect ATM offline. I don't think we read the same article. Maybe in the first one he did - but in the linked article all I see is him walking up and down streets looking for the bluetooth broadcast. I won't blindly believe that each of the ATMs he found broadcasting was exploited. I'm not saying I would use them nor would I recommend using one in Mexico - but just seeing a bluetooth signal isn't enough for me to assume that it's exploited. With all the sensational articles floating on the web - I'm just skeptical that's all. > demanding that he "work with at least one authority figure" is a bit naive in Mexico. I didn't demand it - I just expected it. Even though I'm sure there are a lot of bribes happening in Mexico - there has to be someone he can contact and work with that may or may not care.
- morsch 11y ago
  It was in the first one, although the second article alludes to the fact that the hotel took the ATM offline, eventually. The first part also goes into some detail regarding the hardware and the fact that he was approached by an ATM firm. They'd probably know if the BT beacon was a maintenance tool. Having an openly visible BT signal emanate from your illicit snooping device seems amateurish on the face of it, but it does make connecting to it easier for technically challenged criminals, who I assume don't have a bachelor in CS or EE. They'll be happy to escalate to a harder to detect wireless signal if it becomes necessary.