Banks taking steps to upgrade ATM software, make them less vulnerable: Govt

Jaitley said RBI had also advised Scheduled Commercial Banks to implement systems to secure ATMs

The government on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that banks are taking steps to upgrade the software of ATMs and make them less vulnerable.

"The RBI has informed that banks have been taking steps to upgrade the software based on the agreements/contracts with their vendors. While the Windows XP Operating System (OS) is no longer supported by Microsoft, the vendors providing the ATM software that runs on the XP OS are providing their solutions for managing overall vulnerability of ATMs," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

"This is applicable to about 70 per cent of the ATMs. Owing to the fact that the ATMs run on a closed user network, they are inherently less vulnerable," he added. 

The minister said RBI, as the authority to regulate and supervise the payment systems in the country, had advised all Scheduled Commercial Banks to implement appropriate systems and controls to secure the operating system of ATMs.

"RBI has issued Cyber Security Framework on June 2, 2016 covering best practices pertaining to various aspects for cyber security for IT infrastructure for banks," Jaitley said.

On May 26, 2016 the central bank had advised all banks and White Label ATM Operators (WLAO) to ensure that all existing ATMs installed /operated by them are enabled for processing of EMV Chip and PIN cards by September 30, 2017 for enhancing security of card transaction at ATMs.