Cyber security major Kaspersky, has announced a new version of Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security that can now remotely manage and update ATM and point of sale (PoS) devices located in areas with a 2G internet connection.
According to the company, this enables the solution to effectively protect ATMs, payment terminals and other similar devices in remote areas without affecting their productivity and service availability.
In addition, Kaspersky said its Embedded Systems Security has been upgraded with a new Network Threat Protection component which prevents attacks on a network layer.
“Some people prefer to pay with cash, and in some places, there is just no other option. This means people’s daily lives depend on access to physical currency, so banks need to provide their customers with means for withdrawing money,” said Oleg Gorobets, senior B2B product marketing manager at Kaspersky. “Our clients in the banking industry find themselves facing the issue of poor internet connectivity in remote areas. This can affect the quality of their service, which is supposed to be delivered both conveniently and securely.”
Gorobets said in order to help customers in the banking industry solve this problem, the company has optimised the system requirements of Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security.
From 2017 to 2019, the number of unique Kaspersky protected devices that encountered ATM/PoS malware grew by nearly 2.5 times, according to statistics from Kaspersky Security Network. This suggests that ATMs, PoS and other similar systems are a tempting target for cybercriminals.
In addition, weak communication channels may lead to a conflict between traffic flows responsible for the execution of transactions, banking software updates and management tasks including the delivery of updates. When a channel is overloaded with traffic between the security solution and its management server, it leads to unstable operation or even a partial loss of control over the device.
