“Cashout”: FBI Warns Of Imminent Global ATM Hack

The FBI is warning of an “imminent” global cyberattack on ATM machines that could result in millions of dollars withdrawn from bank accounts far and wide, in a similar “cash-out” attack to one in 2009 which hit ATMs worldwide to the tune of $9 million.

 

“The FBI has obtained unspecified reporting indicating cyber criminals are planning to conduct a global Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cash-out scheme in the coming days, likely associated with an unknown card issuer breach and commonly referred to as an ‘unlimited operation’,” according to an FBI alert to banks that was obtained by noted cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs.

Krebs describes it as a “highly choreographed, global fraud scheme known as an “ATM cash-out,” in which crooks hack a bank or payment card processor and use cloned cards at cash machines around the world tofraudulently withdraw millions of dollars in just a few hours.”

“Historic compromises have included small-to-medium size financial institutions, likely due to less robust implementation of cyber security controls, budgets, or third-party vendor vulnerabilities. The FBI expects the ubiquity of this activity to continue or possibly increase in the near future,” the FBI statement reads.

In other words, financial institutions which haven’t upgraded to the latest and greatest in security measures are vulnerable to attack. And since banks will likely reimburse anyone affected by the breach, the FBI’s warning should particularly interest small-to-mid sized banks using outdated technology.

In July, two similar “unlimited operation” attacks resulted in losses of $2.4 million from the National Bank of Blacksburg according to Krebs, who broke the story.

In both cases, the attackers managed to phish someone working at the Blacksburg, Virginia-based small bank. From there, the intruders compromised systems the bank used to manage credits and debits to customer accounts.

The 2016 unlimited operation against National Bank began Saturday, May 28, 2016 and continued through the following Monday. That particular Monday was Memorial Day, a federal holiday in the United States, meaning bank branches were closed for more than two days after the heist began. All told, the attackers managed to siphon almost $570,000 in the 2016 attack.

The Blacksburg bank hackers struck again on Saturday, January 7, and by Monday Jan 9 had succeeded in withdrawing almost $2 million in another unlimited ATM cashout operation. –Krebs On Security

Meanwhile, the FBI is advising banks on best security practices, such as two-factor authentication using physical or digital tokens, as well as beefed up password requirements.

The FBI issued a similar alert in 2009, after a “wave of thieves fanned out across the globe nearly simultaneously. With cloned or stolen debit cards in hand—and the PINs to go with them—they hit more than 2,100 money machines in at least 280 cities on three continents, in such countries as the U.S., Canada, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Estonia, Russia, and the Ukraine.”

When it was all over—incredibly within 12 hours—the thieves walked off with a total of more than $9 million in cash. And that figure would’ve been more had the targeted ATMs not been drained of all their money.

The alleged masterminds of this slick scheme—prosecutors charged earlier this month following an extensive FBI investigation assisted by other federal agencies and our partners around the globe—were three 20-something Eastern Europeans and an unnamed person called simply “Hacker 3.” –FBI (via archive.is)

We’re sure the establishment’s cashless society will fix all these annoying vulnerabilities.

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SWEDEN
Sweden is burning.  Last night migrant gangs unleash coordinated fire bombs on multiple cities inside Sweden
(courtesy zerohedge)

Sweden Is Burning: Migrant Gangs Unleash Coordinated Fire-Bomb Rampage Across Multiple Cities

Many Swedes were horrified in early 2017 when U.S. President Donald Trump linked immigration to rising crime in Sweden, but an increasing number now agree with him.

Amid soaring crime rates, gang violence, complaints about education, and pregnant mothers even being turned away from maternity wards due to a lack of capacity, resentment in Sweden has built over the influx of more than 600,000 immigrants over the past five years.

 

And tonight is one of the worst night for violence in recent history as police report multiple gangs of masked youths rampaging across three major Swedish cities,setting cars on fire in what seems like a coordinated action.

 

Intelligence Fusion@IntellFusion

Multiple arson attacks on vehicles in tonight

– An estimated 15 cars alleged to have been torched
– Youths with molotov cocktails are reported to have set fire to the vehicles
– Other arson attacks reported in Trollhättan
– Ongoing

As The Daily Mail reports, police said they were dealing with multiple fires as dramatic footage showed youths targeting vehicles in a shopping centre and hospital car park at Frölunda Torg, south-west of Gothenburg.

Johan Jansson@JJohanJJansson

Sinnesjukt vilka pack

Alternativ för Sverige@AfS_riks

Videon som visar Sveriges förfall med bilbränderna på Frölunda torg i Göteborg togs ner på Facebook efter att den på en timme fått över 150 000 visningar! 🤬

RETWEETA SÅ ATT ALLA FÅR SE VAD SOM PÅGÅR I SVERIGE! 🔥🇸🇪

There were also reports of young people setting cars on fire in Hjällbo in the north of Gothenburg and further reports of fires in Trollhättan, although police were last night unsure whether the various blazes were related.

Voice of Europe 🌐@V_of_Europe

BREAKING: Serious situation in Sweden. Youths torched around 14 cars near a shopping centre in Gothenburg

Cars were also reported on fire in Malmo, at the southern tip of the country, and in Helsingborg, further south than Gothenburg.

PeterSweden

✔@PeterSweden7

Photos from Gothenburg in Sweden right now.

It’s a war zone.

Police report that the situation is under control and they remain on the premises to keep order.

Frölunda: A group of about 6-8 masked youth fires and throws stones. 31 cars have burned and in addition to these 35 cars are injured. Nobody is arrested.

Nordost: A group of about 8-10 young people throws stones and fires. 15 cars have burned. Nobody is arrested.

Trollhättan: A larger group of about 30-40 young people throws stones and fires. Six cars have burned and another few cars must be damaged. Here roads have been blocked by youngsters and they have even thrown stones against the police and their vehicles. At the moment, identification of young people is ongoing.

When most fires started within a short period of time, it can not be excluded that there is a connection between the fires, the case will be investigated. Polish patrons will remain in the affected areas as long as it is considered necessary.

 

It is no surprise then, as we noted previously,  judging by the latest polls, the rise of extreme populist groups in Sweden is accelerating fast.

As Reuters reports, dozens of people have been killed in the past two years in attacks in the capital Stockholm and other big cities by gangs that are mostly from run-down suburbs dominated by immigrants.

 

With public calls growing for tougher policies on crime and immigration, support has risen for the ironically named, Sweden Democrats, a party with neo-Nazi roots that wants to freeze immigration and to hold a referendum on Sweden’s membership of the European Union.

 

Their worried mainstream rivals have started moving to the right on crime and immigration to try to counter the Sweden Democrats’ threat in the Sept. 9 election. But so far, they are playing into the hands of the far-right.

“Right now they (mainstream parties) are competing over who can set out the most restrictive policies,” said Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lovin, whose Green Party is part of a minority government led by the Social Democratic Party.

“It clearly benefits the Sweden Democrats.”

Opinion polls put the Sweden Democrats on about 20 percent support, up from the 13 percent of votes they secured in the 2014 election and the 5.7 percent which saw them enter parliament for the first time in 2010.

 

The Sweden Democrats’ rise on the back of anti-immigration sentiment mirrors gains for right-wing, populist and anti-establishment parties in other European countries such as Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria.

The Sweden Democrats still trail the Social Democratic Party but has overtaken the main opposition Moderates in many polls. All mainstream parties have ruled out working with them.

But they could emerge from the election as kingmakers, and a strong election showing could force the next government to take their views into consideration when shaping policy.

Their policies include a total freeze on asylum seekers and accepting refugees only from Sweden’s neighbors in the future. They also want tougher penalties for crime and more powers for police, and say tax cuts and higher spending on welfare could be funded by cutting the immigration budget.

Jimmie Akesson, the leader of the Sweden Democratic party, has described the situation as “pretty fantastic”.

“We are dominating the debate even though no one will talk to us,” he told party members.

The Sweden Democrats have succeeded in linking the two in the minds of many voters, even though official statistics show no correlation between overall levels of crime and immigration. However, while the government denies it has lost control but Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has not ruled out sending the military into problem areas.

“Sweden is going down a more right-wing path,” said Nick Aylott, a political scientist at Sodertorn University said. “It is almost impossible to avoid according some sort of influence to a party with around 20 percent of the vote.”

Trump was right after all.

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