back to article Nobody expects the borkish bank-wisition: When I said I wanted some notes from the ATM, I never thought I'd see...

A novel way of entering your PIN features in today's entry into the pantheon of problem-hit computers as a veteran Windows application makes its presence felt in the modern world. It is common knowledge that Microsoft's Windows operating system lurks behind many an ATM nowadays. Nagging about upgrades and the odd screen of …

  1. Hubert Cumberdale

    I have absolutely no idea why MS would ever need to update anything about Notepad. I use it multiple times a day, every day, largely for rapid and simple format stripping from text (I have it on a shortcut key). If they change it more than a tiny smidge to do anything other than the bare minimum it already does, I'll just be keeping the old one somehow (as I already do with calculator).

    1. Mike 125

      Actually MS have recently updated it: to 'handle' MS/Unix line endings.

      And that really bugs me because it used to be an easy way to check the line endings!

    2. matjaggard

      Line endings and crashing on large files come to mind immediately.

      I always replace it with Notepad2 when I use a new windows machine. That choice is made over others like Notepad++ or Atom due to the speed of start-up.

    3. ovation1357

      OMG this is like Stockholm Syndrome for crappy software that's been so bad that people now want it to stay bad!

      One of my big gripes about Windows is that has always shipped with the most basic, striped back programs that lack even the most basic useful features.

      Notepad is high on my list of crapware that I only use when I'm on a locked down system with no other choice... Seriously, compared to any bundled editor from any other OS, it's complete pants.

      The lack of support for UNIX line endings has been a pain forever and I'm glad that's one little thing they've tweaked.. it's a nuisance that Mac, Win and UNIX/Linux all use different line endings anyway but on a UNIX box it's dead easy to detect Windows line endings and convert them.

      If I send a file to a Windows guy which has UNIX endings, I'm likely to get it sent back to me asking for an edited copy because there are no built in tools (at least, none that anyone is aware of) which can do conversion.

  2. ivan itchybutt

    PoC

    Looks like someone seeing if they can remotely run an executable to me... standby for more serious bork.

  3. MacroRodent

    Old Windows

    The translucent window borders of Notepad suggest it is running either Vista or Windows 7.

    1. Elledan

      Re: Old Windows

      Pretty sure it runs something more like Win8.x or Win10. The minimize/full-screen/close buttons are the flat type that is most definitely not a style on Vista or Win7.

      Win10 also has some transparency back again now since a few updates ago.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    .LOG

    Thankfully still supports .LOG on the first line.

  5. cantankerous swineherd

    etc/hosts worth a try Shirley?

  6. aregross

    Ha, you wouldn't be able to do anything as that's not a Touch screen though sometimes the side buttons can act as Function keys(but only in the bank's application software). With a keyboard attached to the PC Core you would use the Function keys to navigate around.

    My guess is it's a remote 'worker bee' trying to do... something.

    1. steviebuk Silver badge

      Possibly using psexec because they're remote tool has failed and seeing if psexec will work by running something simple as notepad, would be my guess.

    2. katrinab Silver badge
      Meh

      Would the numeric keypad allow you to type numbers into it?

      1. steviebuk Silver badge

        You'd hope if the app isn't running then it disables all keys from the front panel. But as we've seen over the years ATMs aren't exactly great with security.

        An interesting one I had was when a few notes came out and one note was folded in the corner, this caused the machine to count it as two notes. Had to put in a request for a £10 refund as it counted it as giving me £40 when it really had only given me £30. I religiously count the money after I withdraw any now.

  7. John H Woods Silver badge

    notepad

    is quite an amazing tool. Best uses I've seen so far are as a quick wget (just type a url instead of a file to be loaded) or as a weird assembly code editor for hacking cmd.exe to nop out the privilege check so that you (actually the pen tester I was watching) could launch a console even though he wasn't allowed to.

  8. arachnoid2

    Try the undo command

    Always worth a try if it hasnt been closed.

  9. Bitsminer Silver badge

    pwn 2 own

    Popping up a copy of Notepad is a common proof-of-exploitation for a Windows target.

    I suggest you change banks.

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