A network of criminals from eastern Europe and Russia used malware to hack into ATMs. This is the first time that cyber criminals used this technique in Taiwan.
According to a video footage, the hackers just walk away with the cash; the hackers haven't used skimmers to steal payment card data. What they did was stand in front of the ATM at the moment the machine just spew out the money.
In total, about $2 million were stolen from dozens of ATMs in the country,
In response, banks have frozen withdrawals from more than 1,000 ATMs.
Taiwanese authorities that are investigating, discovered three different strains of malware on the hacked ATMs. The targeted ATMs are produced by the Wincor Nixdorf, which admitted that some of its ATMs in Taiwan were hacked as part of a "premeditated attack."
The authorities suspect the involvement of two Russian nationals that were wearing masks while cashed out. Later, one Latvian man was held in northeast Taiwan, while two other suspects were arrested in the capital Taipei.
More than half of the money has been recovered but another 13 suspects are believed to have fled the country.
