druck <news@druck.org.uk> writes:
> On 06/09/2023 13:13, Martin Gregorie wrote:

>> Each ATM is run by its own copy of a fairly dumb finite state machine
>> (FSM), which knows just enough to run its display, handle the
>> smartcard reader and interpret the punter's key presses. The ATM's
>> controlling FSM is in turn overseen by an ATM network management
>> process running on a bigger box back at head office.
>
> That's how they were originally, but these days some run Windows
> (often out o support versions) and serve advertising while you try to
> get your cash out. They offer the a huge range of world class
> vulnerabilities that only Microsoft can provide.

They’ve been using general-purpose operating systems for a very long
time; I remember one displaying an OS/2 error screen in the mid 1990s.

--
https://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/

Martin Gregorie <martin@mydomain.invalid> wrote:
> On Wed, 6 Sep 2023 21:40:10 +0100, druck wrote:
>
> > On 06/09/2023 13:13, Martin Gregorie wrote:
> >> Each ATM is run by its own copy of a fairly dumb finite state machine
> >> (FSM), which knows just enough to run its display, handle the smartcard
> >> reader and interpret the punter's key presses. The ATM's controlling
> >> FSM is in turn overseen by an ATM network management process running on
> >> a bigger box back at head office.
> >
> > That's how they were originally, but these days some run Windows (often
> > out o support versions) and serve advertising while you try to get your
> > cash out. They offer the a huge range of world class vulnerabilities
> > that only Microsoft can provide.
> >
> Sure. I haven't touched any of that stuff since 2000, and as I said, even
> then I was more concerned with the software managing the ATM network and
> interfacing it to the financial system it was front ending. Thats where
> virtually all the client-specific custom code was situated.

I think you might be describing the 80s kind which had a 2 line text display
(VFD?), whereas everything since has had a CRT or LCD and needed a
'computer' to drive it, and that computer ran some kind of OS (from DOS
upwards).

The old type being this kind of thing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3624

Theo

On 08 Sep 2023 10:01:51 +0100 (BST), Theo wrote:

> Martin Gregorie <martin@mydomain.invalid> wrote:
>> On Wed, 6 Sep 2023 21:40:10 +0100, druck wrote:
>>
>> > On 06/09/2023 13:13, Martin Gregorie wrote:
>> >> Each ATM is run by its own copy of a fairly dumb finite state
>> >> machine (FSM), which knows just enough to run its display, handle
>> >> the smartcard reader and interpret the punter's key presses. The
>> >> ATM's controlling FSM is in turn overseen by an ATM network
>> >> management process running on a bigger box back at head office.
>> >
>> > That's how they were originally, but these days some run Windows
>> > (often out o support versions) and serve advertising while you try to
>> > get your cash out. They offer the a huge range of world class
>> > vulnerabilities that only Microsoft can provide.
>> >
>> Sure. I haven't touched any of that stuff since 2000, and as I said,
>> even then I was more concerned with the software managing the ATM
>> network and interfacing it to the financial system it was front ending.
>> Thats where virtually all the client-specific custom code was situated.
>
> I think you might be describing the 80s kind which had a 2 line text
> display (VFD?), whereas everything since has had a CRT or LCD and needed
> a 'computer' to drive it, and that computer ran some kind of OS (from
> DOS upwards).
>
> The old type being this kind of thing:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3624
>
I don't recall supporting any ATM that primitive or any with IBM stamped
on them. AFAICR they looked remarkably like the ones you currently find at
the front of Sainsbury's and other UK supermarkets, but with rectangular
monochrome screens. I can't remember who made them or who supplied the ATM
network management software we were customising except that it came from
Texas and most of the ATM networks used X.25 protocols.

--

Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

On 08/09/2023 10:42, Martin Gregorie wrote:
> On 08 Sep 2023 10:01:51 +0100 (BST), Theo wrote:
>
>> Martin Gregorie <martin@mydomain.invalid> wrote:
>>> On Wed, 6 Sep 2023 21:40:10 +0100, druck wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 06/09/2023 13:13, Martin Gregorie wrote:
>>>>> Each ATM is run by its own copy of a fairly dumb finite state
>>>>> machine (FSM), which knows just enough to run its display, handle
>>>>> the smartcard reader and interpret the punter's key presses. The
>>>>> ATM's controlling FSM is in turn overseen by an ATM network
>>>>> management process running on a bigger box back at head office.
>>>>
>>>> That's how they were originally, but these days some run Windows
>>>> (often out o support versions) and serve advertising while you try to
>>>> get your cash out. They offer the a huge range of world class
>>>> vulnerabilities that only Microsoft can provide.
>>>>
>>> Sure. I haven't touched any of that stuff since 2000, and as I said,
>>> even then I was more concerned with the software managing the ATM
>>> network and interfacing it to the financial system it was front ending.
>>> Thats where virtually all the client-specific custom code was situated.
>>
>> I think you might be describing the 80s kind which had a 2 line text
>> display (VFD?), whereas everything since has had a CRT or LCD and needed
>> a 'computer' to drive it, and that computer ran some kind of OS (from
>> DOS upwards).
>>
>> The old type being this kind of thing:
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3624
>>
> I don't recall supporting any ATM that primitive or any with IBM stamped
> on them. AFAICR they looked remarkably like the ones you currently find at
> the front of Sainsbury's and other UK supermarkets, but with rectangular
> monochrome screens. I can't remember who made them or who supplied the ATM
> network management software we were customising except that it came from
> Texas and most of the ATM networks used X.25 protocols.
>
>

NCR

On Wed, 6 Sep 2023 20:49:30 -0000 (UTC), in
<udaokq$2dslj$3@dont-email.me>, Martin Gregorie
<martin@mydomain.invalid> wrote:

>On Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:45:43 +0000, Jim H wrote:
>
>> Really? I had a drive thru ATM reboot on me once, The boot screen said
>> it was running Windows.
>>
>There are several ATM manufacturers, and anyway the models I worked on in
>the late '80s and '90s are quite unlikely to be around now. I forget who
>made the ATM varieties I was familiar with or what, if any OS, their FSMs
>or equivalent ran on: its quite likely that some ATM makes and models ran
>under Windows.

The one that rebooted on me and displayed a Windows screen did so
maybe a year ago. If it mentioned what version of Windows, I don't
recall.
--
Jim H