New Virus Directly Targets ATMs, Likely Headed for Japan – Interpol
TOKYO – Banks in several countries have been hit by a new form of financial cyber attack, in which a virus alters banks’ computer systems to allow cash withdrawals from automated teller machines to users without an account, Interpol officials said Saturday.
Interpol, or the International Criminal Police Organization, warned that although no incidents have yet been reported in Japan, the cyber attack method is likely to spread to the country before long, and that Japanese banks should start taking sufficient precautions.
According to Moscow-based information security firm Kaspersky Lab, the virus has been found in about 100 financial institutions in 30 countries, including the United States, Germany, and China, since 2013. It is linked to losses of over 100 billion yen ($832 million) globally.