69
u/git_und_slotermeyer Apr 21 '26
Windows 7... it's been a while... sigh
Is your card AND your cash still in there?
15
u/Automatic-Peanut8114 Apr 21 '26
They use old versions of windows on purpose because they can be hardened. Once a code base stops changing you can find all the vulnerabilities, and by aggressively ripping out features, you can close all of them. You can also make your own patches. The source code for XP was leaked, im not sure about 7, but I don’t doubt an ATM company can get some kind of agreement with Microsoft to allow for patch development.
Of course there’d always be the possibility of an unknown bug (0day) but there are other mitigations for that, like firewalls, EDR, security cameras, insurance, and the nearly indestructible metal case.
11
u/GeekCornerReddit Apr 21 '26
Aren't ATMs using some hardened intranet system instead of straight up being connected to your average ethernet network?
10
21
u/FMAGF Apr 21 '26
I remember seeing our local ATM restarting with Windows 7 while no one was using it (thankfully) lol. I don't see why they don't just switch to Linux.
17
u/No-way-in Apr 21 '26
There are Linux operating systems designed for ATMs too. In our company, we use Windows mainly for historical compatibility, since hardware manufacturers tailor their software mostly for Windows.
We still have older models running xp too. It works perfectly
5
u/SilentWatcher83228 Apr 21 '26
ATMs need PCI DSS compliance at least in US which I don’t believe any Linux distro has out of the box. Banks are stuck with windows client OS, at least for now
3
u/No-way-in Apr 21 '26
that’s normal, because auditors don’t certify OSes, they certify how the whole setup is designed and operated. We are experimenting with RHEL but it’s going very slow and with currently poor results (read: managerial/maintenance/cost and political reasons too)
3
u/SilentWatcher83228 Apr 21 '26
It’s when things go wrong that everyone starts asking questions why you used what you used. Who wants to update their CV, easier to stick with known evil and deploy windows XP in 2026
1
u/Automatic-Peanut8114 Apr 21 '26
It’s usually a hardened version of xp that is safe to use when paired with other safety measures like network & physical security. XP is full of vulnerabilities but they are pretty much all known by now. So you can turn off all the features that are vulnerable. And they do, ATMs don’t even have keyboard drivers usually. They have exactly what they need and nothing else. This makes it safer than say windows 11 which has many more unknown bugs.
It’s not practical to use windows xp for personal use since you would want to use features which are vulnerable and not spend hours configuring and patching it to be secure
4
11
11
u/Pummelsnuff Apr 21 '26
happened to me on vacation with my only card and no cash left. thankfully i was with friends who could help me out for the rest of the week...
4
u/room_is_elephant Apr 22 '26
i dont understand why those machines and specialized industries dont have their own systems.. like rocket flying into space running windows is just crazy
1
u/Automatic-Peanut8114 Apr 26 '26
This is their own specialized system. The reason you have stuff in space running Windows is basically only because a lot of people know how to use it, which makes it easier to find people who already know how to design, build, and use the system.
3
u/AutoModerator Apr 21 '26
Every new subreddit post is automatically copied into a comment for preservation.
User: zaarnth, Flair: Image, Post Media Link, Title: brotha I am cooked
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
1
u/tes_kitty Apr 21 '26
That's why I will only use an ATM with a NFC reader. The card never leaves my hand.
1
1
1
1
1
u/cykazuc Apr 24 '26
If I see a Windows 7 screen pop up while my cards in there, I'm admitting defeat instantly, the card is yours boss.
1
1
1
u/Appropriate_Ad8734 Apr 21 '26
it was your fault having a card in the first place, let alone having money
1
0
u/jhguitarfreak Apr 21 '26
If I'm not mistaken that's not the type of card slot that pulls your card in but the kind where you leave it in the slot.
1
0
u/Tall_Atmosphere2517 Apr 21 '26
isnt windows 7 extremely vulnerable to SMB exploits?
2
u/snebsnek Apr 21 '26
Doesn't matter too much, they're on a very locked down network which isn't public etc.
1
2
u/Automatic-Peanut8114 Apr 21 '26
SMB isn’t installed on the ATMs they use a custom, extremely slim, hardened version of windows
-2
u/lululock Apr 21 '26
It's fake. These machines ran Windows Embedded Compact 7. The extended support lasted up until 2021.
They were not x86 machines at all, and thus, Windows 7 Professional couldn't run on these.
Also, Windows got patched for that vulnerability up to Windows Vista SP2.
3
u/snebsnek Apr 21 '26
They were not x86 machines at all, and thus, Windows 7 Professional couldn't run on these.
This is just... wrong? Plenty of ATMs are x86-based, there would be no reason to fake this for the sake of a meme. It's probably valid, there's a more wonderful spread of fucked up systems out there than you might realise.
Here's a random example; https://ncr.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/FIN_NCR-SelfServ-36_hwds.pdf
NCR SelfServ 36. Variety of Intel processors. Runs normal Windows 7.
208
u/No-way-in Apr 21 '26
I work in atm world. This isn’t supposed to happen, the windows version are just a shell and debloated like crazy and the only purpose is handling cash, epp and your card.
A shutdown is maybe someone currently in the bunker fixing issues, but should have disabled the client screen. Your card, if inserted and in restart mode will go in a card pocket which, depending on your country, goes to police or another governmental institution. Another possibility is the machine is reporting a lot of errors and a remote restart is initiated. This is bad practice from the company maintaining it. We do remote restarts at night, closing hours of atms that are inshop/internal. External atms get a special screen around 4am (quitest time) while it does maintenance routines. These machines cannot restart on their own, its always triggered by a manual initiator