Financial & Insurance

ATM Network Penetration Testing & Risk Mitigation

Our Client’s Backstory

Our client is a European financial institution serving a retail base of over 100 million clients. Known for its digital innovation, the bank introduced “cardless” ATM features, allowing users to withdraw funds via mobile applications without a physical card or PIN. Recognizing that these features create new attack vectors, the bank’s leadership engaged Klika to conduct a penetration testing exercise to fortify their ATM network and protect against financial fraud.

The Challenges

Evaluating the security of a distributed ATM network required navigating architectural interdependencies and operational constraints. Key challenges included:

Evolving Attack Vectors: Assessing the vulnerability of “PIN-less” and “card-less” withdrawal features that bypass physical security layers.
Operational Continuity: Performing security testing without disrupting the bank’s daily global operations or interfering with customer transactions.
Network Segmentation: Ensuring the ATM infrastructure was isolated from the bank’s core network to prevent lateral movement during simulated attacks.
Third-Party Risk Management: Identifying security gaps introduced by external technology vendors and integrated third-party hardware components.
Methodological Precision: Architecting a testing strategy that complies with international financial regulations and cybersecurity standards.

The Solution

Klika was hired as a security consultant to lead the end-to-end penetration testing and risk assessment process. Our solution included:

OWASP-Based Audit Framework

Executed a security audit targeting the "OWASP Top 10" vulnerabilities, adhering to global financial industry guidelines.

Simulated Cyberattack Orchestration

Developed and deployed custom attack scripts to probe the ATM-to-server communication layer for authentication weaknesses.

Vulnerability Identification & Mapping

Performed a risk analysis, identifying high-severity vulnerabilities across code, architecture, and network configurations.

Remediation Strategy Development

Provided an actionable roadmap for mitigating threats, including the implementation of server-side OAUTH checks and Transport Layer Security (TLS) hardening.

API Security Hardening

Recommended the transition to enhanced HTTPS protocols for communications with external APIs and third-party service providers.

Continuous Monitoring & Alerting

Established an alert system to detect and flag suspicious activities across the ATM network during and after the testing phase.

The Solution

Klika was hired as a security consultant to lead the end-to-end penetration testing and risk assessment process. Our solution included:

OWASP-Based Audit Framework

Executed a security audit targeting the "OWASP Top 10" vulnerabilities, adhering to global financial industry guidelines.

Simulated Cyberattack Orchestration

Developed and deployed custom attack scripts to probe the ATM-to-server communication layer for authentication weaknesses.

Vulnerability Identification & Mapping

Performed a risk analysis, identifying high-severity vulnerabilities across code, architecture, and network configurations.

Remediation Strategy Development

Provided an actionable roadmap for mitigating threats, including the implementation of server-side OAUTH checks and Transport Layer Security (TLS) hardening.

API Security Hardening

Recommended the transition to enhanced HTTPS protocols for communications with external APIs and third-party service providers.

Continuous Monitoring & Alerting

Established an alert system to detect and flag suspicious activities across the ATM network during and after the testing phase.

The Solution

Klika was hired as a security consultant to lead the end-to-end penetration testing and risk assessment process. Our solution included:

OWASP-Based Audit Framework

Executed a security audit targeting the "OWASP Top 10" vulnerabilities, adhering to global financial industry guidelines.

Simulated Cyberattack Orchestration

Developed and deployed custom attack scripts to probe the ATM-to-server communication layer for authentication weaknesses.

Vulnerability Identification & Mapping

Performed a risk analysis, identifying high-severity vulnerabilities across code, architecture, and network configurations.

Remediation Strategy Development

Provided an actionable roadmap for mitigating threats, including the implementation of server-side OAUTH checks and Transport Layer Security (TLS) hardening.

API Security Hardening

Recommended the transition to enhanced HTTPS protocols for communications with external APIs and third-party service providers.

Continuous Monitoring & Alerting

Established an alert system to detect and flag suspicious activities across the ATM network during and after the testing phase.

The Solution

Klika was hired as a security consultant to lead the end-to-end penetration testing and risk assessment process. Our solution included:

OWASP-Based Audit Framework

Executed a security audit targeting the "OWASP Top 10" vulnerabilities, adhering to global financial industry guidelines.

Simulated Cyberattack Orchestration

Developed and deployed custom attack scripts to probe the ATM-to-server communication layer for authentication weaknesses.

Vulnerability Identification & Mapping

Performed a risk analysis, identifying high-severity vulnerabilities across code, architecture, and network configurations.

Remediation Strategy Development

Provided an actionable roadmap for mitigating threats, including the implementation of server-side OAUTH checks and Transport Layer Security (TLS) hardening.

API Security Hardening

Recommended the transition to enhanced HTTPS protocols for communications with external APIs and third-party service providers.

Continuous Monitoring & Alerting

Established an alert system to detect and flag suspicious activities across the ATM network during and after the testing phase.

The Solution

Klika was hired as a security consultant to lead the end-to-end penetration testing and risk assessment process. Our solution included:

OWASP-Based Audit Framework

Executed a security audit targeting the "OWASP Top 10" vulnerabilities, adhering to global financial industry guidelines.

Simulated Cyberattack Orchestration

Developed and deployed custom attack scripts to probe the ATM-to-server communication layer for authentication weaknesses.

Vulnerability Identification & Mapping

Performed a risk analysis, identifying high-severity vulnerabilities across code, architecture, and network configurations.

Remediation Strategy Development

Provided an actionable roadmap for mitigating threats, including the implementation of server-side OAUTH checks and Transport Layer Security (TLS) hardening.

API Security Hardening

Recommended the transition to enhanced HTTPS protocols for communications with external APIs and third-party service providers.

Continuous Monitoring & Alerting

Established an alert system to detect and flag suspicious activities across the ATM network during and after the testing phase.

The Result

The penetration testing exercise resulted in a fortification of the bank's digital defenses, protecting both institutional assets and customer data.

Secured 100M+ Retail Clients

Successfully identified and remediated entry points that could have exposed millions of users to financial embezzlement.

Remediation of High-Severity Threats

Addressed critical vulnerabilities in the cardless withdrawal flow, preventing potential ATM network breaches.

Enhanced Institutional Trust

Reaffirmed the bank's reputation as a secure financial service provider through proactive risk mitigation.

Optimized Security Posture

Provided the bank's internal security teams with a data-driven benchmark for future cybersecurity investments.

Zero-Disruption Testing Execution

Completed the audit and remediation phase with no impact on the bank's 24/7 global service availability.

The Result

The penetration testing exercise resulted in a fortification of the bank's digital defenses, protecting both institutional assets and customer data.

Secured 100M+ Retail Clients

Successfully identified and remediated entry points that could have exposed millions of users to financial embezzlement.

Remediation of High-Severity Threats

Addressed critical vulnerabilities in the cardless withdrawal flow, preventing potential ATM network breaches.

Enhanced Institutional Trust

Reaffirmed the bank's reputation as a secure financial service provider through proactive risk mitigation.

Optimized Security Posture

Provided the bank's internal security teams with a data-driven benchmark for future cybersecurity investments.

Zero-Disruption Testing Execution

Completed the audit and remediation phase with no impact on the bank's 24/7 global service availability.

The Result

The penetration testing exercise resulted in a fortification of the bank's digital defenses, protecting both institutional assets and customer data.

Secured 100M+ Retail Clients

Successfully identified and remediated entry points that could have exposed millions of users to financial embezzlement.

Remediation of High-Severity Threats

Addressed critical vulnerabilities in the cardless withdrawal flow, preventing potential ATM network breaches.

Enhanced Institutional Trust

Reaffirmed the bank's reputation as a secure financial service provider through proactive risk mitigation.

Optimized Security Posture

Provided the bank's internal security teams with a data-driven benchmark for future cybersecurity investments.

Zero-Disruption Testing Execution

Completed the audit and remediation phase with no impact on the bank's 24/7 global service availability.

The Result

The penetration testing exercise resulted in a fortification of the bank's digital defenses, protecting both institutional assets and customer data.

Secured 100M+ Retail Clients

Successfully identified and remediated entry points that could have exposed millions of users to financial embezzlement.

Remediation of High-Severity Threats

Addressed critical vulnerabilities in the cardless withdrawal flow, preventing potential ATM network breaches.

Enhanced Institutional Trust

Reaffirmed the bank's reputation as a secure financial service provider through proactive risk mitigation.

Optimized Security Posture

Provided the bank's internal security teams with a data-driven benchmark for future cybersecurity investments.

Zero-Disruption Testing Execution

Completed the audit and remediation phase with no impact on the bank's 24/7 global service availability.

The Result

The penetration testing exercise resulted in a fortification of the bank's digital defenses, protecting both institutional assets and customer data.

Secured 100M+ Retail Clients

Successfully identified and remediated entry points that could have exposed millions of users to financial embezzlement.

Remediation of High-Severity Threats

Addressed critical vulnerabilities in the cardless withdrawal flow, preventing potential ATM network breaches.

Enhanced Institutional Trust

Reaffirmed the bank's reputation as a secure financial service provider through proactive risk mitigation.

Optimized Security Posture

Provided the bank's internal security teams with a data-driven benchmark for future cybersecurity investments.

Zero-Disruption Testing Execution

Completed the audit and remediation phase with no impact on the bank's 24/7 global service availability.

Technology Stack

OWASP Guidelines

OAUTH 2.0

TLS 1.3

HTTPS

Penetration Testing Scripts

Technology Stack

OWASP Guidelines

OAUTH 2.0

TLS 1.3

HTTPS

Penetration Testing Scripts

Technology Stack

OWASP Guidelines

OAUTH 2.0

TLS 1.3

HTTPS

Penetration Testing Scripts

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