Periscope Skimming, a new ATM threat spotted in the US

As explained by Krebs this is the first time that the periscope skimming is spotted by law enforcement in the US. The police have already discovered two installations of the periscope skimming in the country, the first one on August 19 in Greenwich, Connecticut, the second one on September 3 in Pennsylvania

“According to a non-public alert released to bank industry sources by a financial crimes task force in Connecticut, this is thought to be the first time periscope skimming devices have been detected in the United States.” wrote Brian Krebs in a blog post.

The new periscope skimming is able to store up to 32,000 payment card numbers, once installed on the ATM, it has a power autonomy up to 14 days.

In both installations case analyzed by the law enforcement, the cyber criminals had access to the insides of the cash machines (referred to as “top-hat” entry) by using a key, then they installed two devices connecting them by wiring.

One of the devices is the periscope skimming probe that is installed through a pre-existing hole on the frame of the motorized card reader. The probe connects the pad to the circuit board.

The second device is the so-called “skimming control device,” it is directly connected to the skimming probe and is composed of the battery source and data storage unit.

“The probe is set in place to connect to the circuit board and directly onto the pad that transfers cardholder data stored on the magnetic stripe on the backs of customer payment cards. The probe is then held in place with fast-drying superglue to the card reader frame.” wrote Krebs.

“According to the Secret Service, the only visible part of this skimming device once the top-hat is opened will be the wire extending from the periscope probe that leads to the second part of this skimmer — called a “skimming control device.” “