Yet Another Reason Banks Need to Install IP Camera Surveillance Systems at Their ATMs

We can never cease to be amazed at the devious means ATM hackers use to get their hands on cold hard cash, or perhaps, since these are ATMs, we should say, cool, crisp twenties. However, installing IP camera security systems can stem the flow.

Respected blogging sites, Gizmodo and  ZDNet both posted entries this week, lamenting the fact that too many banks still run their core services on the soon-to-be-retired Windows XP operating system. (That's soon - as in this April 8!)  What this means is that come April 9 Microsoft will cease to issue patches and fixes. This is scary news for every facet of banking, but great news for hackers who can hardly wait. According to researchers at Symantec, over 95% of ATMs run on XP.

As for the hackers, it looks like a few couldn't wait.

Enter Backdoor. Ploutus

An XP vulnerability was discovered in Mexico, giving rise to Backdoor.Ploutus, a malware quickly written to take advantage of it. So fast has it spread, that the English language version Backdoor.Ploutus.B has crossed the border. The scheme involves using a smartphone to remotely control an ATM. Once the phone has been connected to the ATM, all the hacker ring has to do is text instructions to the compromised ATM and go collect the cash.

Enter A Fix - An IP Camera Security System
We interrupt this blog to point out that if  ATMs are monitored by an IP camera surveillance systems and  IP camera recording software, the hacker doing the grunt work of drilling into, or prying open an ATM to attach the phone can be detected, and authorities alerted. Failing that, at least an IP recording system can provide forensic evidence. And that would be the end of the story.

 But sad to say, that's not always the case. Not all ATMs are so equipped, so here's what happens.

The Logistics of Backdoor.Ploutus

The foot soldier hacker first  has to physically get  into the workings of the ATM to reach its USB port to attach the phone via a USB cable, thus creating a shared Internet connection through which it will send SMS commands to the phone, making the phone a virtual accomplice. The phone will then convert the SMS messages into network packets and send them through the USB cable to the ATM.

• The  first SMS will contain an ID code which will unleash Backdoor.Ploutus.B 
• The second will send a valid release command instructing the ATM to dispense the money. And of course, wouldn't you just know -  another foot soldier hacker will just happen to be there to take the money and run.

Meanwhile, Back to the Bank

Banks still running Windows XP still have time to do one of two things, or even better - both.

• upgrade to Windows 8
• install a covert IP camera

Whether you're a banker or not, Kintronics has all the information you need to help you choose the best IP camera systems to fit your needs. Ad if you're looking for  IP door access control  or PA over IP we can help there too. Give us a call at 914-944-3425 or fill out an information request form and a sales engineer will get right back to you.

IP Cameras and Commuter Trains

The title of our post last week posed a question, "Will We Soon See IP Camera Systems
on Metro North Trains?"








 Yesterday, we received the answer, and the news can be characterized as

• Good : Metro North will be getting video cameras
• Better:  So will the Long Island Railroad 
• Hurry up and wait.  A Request for Proposal must be issued

In the words of Thomas K. Prendergast, CEO and Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority which bears responsibility for the operation of  the Metro North and Long Island Railroads, NYC subways

and buses, as well as a good portion of the areas toll bridges and tunnels, "The MTA is committed to safety at all its agencies. We will be systematically implementing the recommendations put forward by the NTSB and other regulators to ensure the best practices are adhered to throughout the MTA family."

So what does this mean in terms of IP camera surveillance systems and the  railways? It means they will be installing 1,769 outward- and inward-facing video cameras in all their locomotives as well as  926 rail car cabs on the LIRR and 843 on Metro North. Since the primary purpose of the video cameras is to provide forensic data to aid investigators, should future incidents or accidents occur, all video will need to be recorded and stored, so they will also be including network video recorders as well.

You may have noticed we underlined systematically in Mr. Prendergast's quote. That's because it explains the hurry up and wait aspect.  In the majority of cases, before assigning a project to a vendor, a bid or Request for Quote (RFQ) goes out and the contract is awarded to the company who comes in with the lowest price.  However, due to the complexity of this operation, a more detailed procurement procedure, a Request for Proposal is called for. In the case of a RFP, the job is awarded based on  a vendor's technical expertise, performance on similar projects, company resources, and cost.

Here is why we won't be seeing those IP camera security systems for a while:

• Railroad representatives must attend a  meeting  of the MTA board of directors, scheduled for Monday, March 24 to seek permission to issue a RFP.

• If approved, Metro North and LIRR project managers and their respective teams will then meet to work out the scope of the work to be done, technical specs, and the contract wording.

• Metro North's procurement department must advertise the RFP

• Interested vendors must submit their proposals

• Metro North must review the completed RFP packets in which vendors submit design and manufacturing details, costs, offer information  about their company, workforce and hiring practices, and project expected delivery and completion dates.

• Announcement will be made of the winning bid.

• Installations will be scheduled. 

So that's where it stands at present. Meanwhile, should you be in need of information about IP camera systems or IP recording systems contact Kintronics at 914-944-3425 and a sales engineer will be glad to answer all your questions. or if you prefer, fill out a request for information form and someone will respond promptly. 

Will We Soon See IP Camera Systems on Metro North Railway Trains?

Americans are turning to public transportation in large numbers.  According to a press release issued by  The American Public Transportation Association, more than 10.65 billion trips were taken in 2013. That’s the highest ridership since 1956 which coincidentally was the year Dwight D Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act, leading to the construction of miles of new roads and the subsequent rise of the suburbs.

Unfortunately, here in the metropolitan New York area, where public transportation is the choice of many commuters, this  news was tempered  by press coverage of numerous train incidents some resulting in multiple deaths and/or  injuries. The most serious and frightening occurred early in the morning of December 1, 2013 when a Metro North commuter train failed to negotiate a sharp curve and derailed, killing 4 passengers and injuring over 70.

It has been established that the train approached the curve in the Spuyten Duyvil sction of the Bronx at a speed of 82 mph whereas the speed limit at that point is actually 30 mph. Further questions involve whether the engineer night have dozed off, or as his lawyer phrased it “went into a daze.”

If we are to go by recent press events, it may be likely that one day soon we’ll see IP camera surveillance systems on board trains. The timeline of demands and recommendations played out like this.

December 8, 2013 

Posing the Question

Senators Charles Schumer of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut held a Sunday morning joint press conference in Grand Central Station. 

  (Personal disclosure – yours truly just happened to be passing through at the time and came upon them!)

The senators each beseeched the Federal Railroad Administration to require cameras be installed in train cabs, pointed at the train operator as well as at the tracks, Schumer saying“ Inward facing cameras may help railroad managers detect dangerous patterns amongst engineers ahead of time, and also help investigators determine the cause of a future rail accident."

Blumenthal’s opinion was

“Audio and video recording tools can help prevent operator error and equipment failure.”

This was not the first cry for IP camera security systems and IP camera recording software to be installed in an effort to improve rail safety. The national Transportation Board, the very agency conducted the investigation of the Bronx derailment had been petitioning the Federal Railroad Administration for on-board cameras since 2008 when a train accident in California took 25 lives.

January 12, 2014

Receiving an Answer

Senators Blumenthal and Schumer were back at Grand Central for another press conference in which they announced they'd received a letter from a Federal Railroad Administration official updating them on the measures that were being taken. 

According to NBC News4 in New York, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo said the Association of American Railroads initiated a safety camera pilot program in early 2013 and that his agency has been monitoring the benefits.Based on what they’d seen, the Railroad Administration planned to propose a rule that would require video cameras be installed in all trains.

Several railway systems including Amtrak have been using cameras to record crossings and signals but should another incident occur, even a minor one, data recovered using IP camera recording systems would provide forensic evidence that could be used to remedy unsafe driver practices or infrastructure insufficiencies.

  

February 18. 2014 

Recommendations Made

Regulators from the National Transportation Safety Board, based on its investigation of the fatal Metro North accident made a formal recommendation that new speed limit signs be posted along the tracks and that network video recorders be installed on every train.

 The New York Daily News quoted  NTSB Chairperson Deborah A.P. Herschberg as saying in a press release “The images and audio captured by recorders can be invaluable to our investigators…..Understanding what is happening inside the cab just prior to a crash can provide crucial information about how to prevent future accidents.”

With that Senator Schumer was back at Grand Central Terminal and we’ll let him have the last word.

 “With these recommendations, the NSTB is confirming what we’ve said all along. Inward and outward facing cameras will greatly improve safety on Metro North and all other railroads.

Whether you're a senator, business owner, school or hospital administrator or security director, if organization needs or is thinking of installing IP camera security systems, Kintronics can help you design one to fit your needs. Call 914-944-3425 to speak to a sales engineer or fill out a form to request information.

DHS and a National License Plate Tracking System: Gearing up For A Monumental Database

It looks like the Department of Homeland  Security  is moving quickly toward adopting “recognition technology” throughout its various agencies. In our last post we discussed how its research arm, the DHS Science & Technology Directorate, was in the midst of a project to determine how and what type of Facial Recognition Technology could best serve U.S. airports and other high risk venues.  Well now we see that another DHS agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),  is moving forward with implementing License Plate Technology (LPR).

Last month, ICE issued a request for bid for a national license plate tracking system. They are looking for a private company that will be able to compile and store a data base containing copious amounts of information culled from license plate readers used by police departments, parking violations bureaus, and car repossession companies nationwide.

A typical License Plate Recognition system consists of

• ·         A high speed digital camera such as an IP camera with a fast shutter speed to minimize blur.
• 
  
• ·         Infrared (IR) light, since it can illuminate the license plate day and night yet remain invisible to the eye.
• 
  
• ·         A computer to run the LPR software
• 
  
• ·         LPR software with algorithms that dictate a sequence of instantaneous processes starting with seeking out the license plate from all the other shapes of the vehicle, isolating the characters, and finally translating them into an alpha-numeric form the computer can recognize (Optical character recognition).

According to The Washington Post, the bid specified that

 “The government would prefer a close-up of the plate and a zoomed-out image of the vehicle”   which would go into a case file report that would include maps and registration information, as well as the car’s make and model.”

When the proposed database is in place, all an ICE agent  need do is snap a shot of a license plate with his smartphone to gain immediate 24/7 access to information which can link the plate to relevant lists and information concerning the car and its owner.  Since a database linked to a national license plate tracking system  could ostensibly contain upwards of one billion records,  it has raised privacy concerns.

 ICE emphasizes that the use of the database will reduce the time it takes to conduct  manned surveillance operations and will be strictly limited to cases under ongoing investigation or to searches for wanted individuals. DHS hopes that the way the system will function, with a commercial entity doing the actual data collection and storage rather than a law enforcement or government agency will further assuage privacy fears.

If you’d like to read more on the subject of License Plate Technology, head on over to Technology Notes Kintronics' monthly e-newsletter and check out

  License Plate Technology, a Twenty-First Century Way of Life 

and 

Speed Cameras, There’s More Than Meets the Eye.

If you're in the market for recognition technology or an IP camera, please call and talk to a Kintronics sales engineer who will be glad to answer all your questions. Call Kintronics at 914-944-3425 or fill out an information request form and we’ll get right back to you.