State-of-the-Art Testing: The First Line of Defense Against Fraudsters

In this featured article, our Director of Product Marketing, Steve Gilde, shares how implementing testing solutions that incorporate automation and virtualization will help kiosk deployers better protect machines from sophisticated hackers and cybercrooks

Security remains a significant issue for kiosk operators. Sophisticated hackers and cybercrooks are finding ever more creative ways to compromise these devices, both physically and logically. And as self-service kiosks see broader adoption across the globe, they are proving to be vulnerable to another growing threat: creative consumers.

While providing convenient access to cash, information, payments and other services is one of the key benefits of kiosks, it is also one of their biggest security flaws. These machines often sit unprotected and vulnerable for hours at a time. Also, these devices are readily available for purchase on the secondary market, making it rather easy for crooks to slice up a machine while looking for the best ways to compromise the equipment. To make matters worse, 3D printers can easily replicate component pieces, allowing fraudsters to insert their own skimmers, traps and other electronics. And, if a 3D printer is beyond their reach, the crooks can just buy OEM parts in bulk off of the internet.