The Hack in the Box ATM talk that never was...

A banking security researcher has stepped forward to deny reports that vendor threats forced him to cancel a presentation on ATM security at the Hack in the Box conference in Amsterdam earlier this month. Many outlets, including El Reg, reported that a presentation on the vulnerabilities and security shortcomings that cyber …

[Rogerborg]

Hey, I've just thought of a great ATM hacking scam!

Threaten to disclose the vulnerabilities publicly, get paid hush money to go away (hey, I've been bribed, not 'threatened'), then rinse and repeat as necessary.

After the first bucket of hush money, what are they going to do? Call my bluff, and switch to lawsuits, or keep paying every time I have a talk scheduled?

For bonus point, I'd pretend that I'd never even meant to give the vulnerability talk. Dumb Dutchies must have been high when I told them what I was going to present.

I mean, that's what *I'd* do, but then *I'm* a loathesome unethical parasite. I'm *sure* that's Chiesa is *nothing* like that, and his bizarre explanations for the much threatened but never given disclosure are all true, *especially* the crazy sounding and contradictory ones.

Right?

[Anonymous Coward]

Many years ago...

I knew someone who could "jackpot" cash machines, didn't involve any hacking though.

Just request a large amount of cash. When the machine offers up the wad remove the middle notes without moving the top or bottom ones. Wait a while and the machine will suck the unmoved notes back in and then doesn't bother to debit your account.

He did it twice and got a call from his bank manager... didn't do it again and they couldn't prove anything either way.

I very much doubt it would work these days, especially with cctv etc.

[Steve Roper]

And it was many years ago

I knew about that trick as well, but it's long since been fixed. The ATMs round my way count the notes and scan the denominations when they're pulled back in now. :(