A detection device for identification and isolation of unauthorized skimmer/shimmer devices takes the form of a portable electronics package adapted for deployment under or near a point-of-sale (POS) station that may be targeted by such skimmer. The detection device is intended for placement near or adjacent an electronic exchange of personal, financial, and/or sensitive information from a payment card, mobile device, or similar magnetic, optical, or radio frequency medium. Unscrupulous interception devices periodically transmit gathered information for reception. The detection device monitors transmissions for those having characteristics indicative of the unscrupulously gathered information, and renders an output signal alerting to the presence and location of an illicit capture device.

A computer-implemented method includes: monitoring, by a computing device, outputs of sensors associated with a machine that receives magnetic stripe cards; in response to the monitoring, detecting, by the computing device, the output of at least one of the sensors indicates an event; in response to the detecting the event, determining, by the computing device, a number of the sensors whose output indicates a respective event during a predefined time period; selecting, by the computing device, a security action from a plurality of predefined security actions based on the determined number of the sensors whose output indicates a respective event during the predefined time period; and initiating, by the computing device, the security action.

A method includes: monitoring outputs of sensors in a machine that receives magnetic stripe cards; determining the outputs of sensors indicate normal usage of the machine or abnormal usage of the machine; in response to determining the outputs of the sensors indicate abnormal usage of the machine, initiating a security action; in response to determining the outputs of the sensors indicate normal usage of the machine, determining the machine is in use or not in use; in response to determining the machine is not in use, initiating the security action; in response to determining the machine is in use, determining whether the use ends within a predefined monitor time; in response to determining the use does not end within the predefined monitor time, initiating the security action; and in response to determining the use does end within the predefined monitor time, returning to monitoring the outputs of the sensors.

A system and method for detecting a foreign object is disclosed. A transmit assembly has a transmit electrode, a ground plane, and a shield electrode positioned between the transmit electrode and the ground plane. Drive circuitry applies a predetermined fixed signal to the transmit electrode and to the shield electrode. A receive assembly is positioned adjacent to the transmit assembly and has a receive electrode. Detection circuitry is coupled to the receive electrode and generates a receive signal based the predetermined fixed signal applied to the transmit electrode. A controller monitors the receive signal to determine when a foreign object has been placed in proximity to the transmit assembly and/or the receive assembly.

Image processing techniques can be used to determine whether a person has installed an unauthorized device on or in a kiosk. For example, an image processing server can determine whether a person's hand(s) are engaging in abnormal behavior by obtaining recorded images of the person's hand(s) that extend towards the kiosk to perform an action, and by comparing the information in the recorded images with a set of previously known information about other persons' hands that are similarly extended towards the kiosk.

Example embodiments relate to a network-based vulnerability detection system configured to access a database of customer transaction data corresponding to a set of card readers that includes transaction codes, receive an identification of a set of compromised card readers among the set of card readers, identify common transaction codes within the transaction data of the set of compromised card readers, and correlate the common transaction codes to one or more instances of fraud associated with the compromised set of card readers. In some example embodiments, the vulnerability detection system may be applied to monitor one or more card readers, receive transaction data corresponding to transaction conducted through the card readers, identify the common transaction codes correlated to the instances of fraud, and cause display of a notification that includes an indication of the instance of fraud at a client device.

Disclosed herein are system, method, and apparatus for detecting a skimmer via a vibration sensor on a transaction card. The method includes receiving, at a server, from a user equipment, vibration information recorded by a transaction card in response to an execution of a transaction at a point-of-service (POS) terminal of a plurality of POS terminals using the transaction card. The vibration information may be recorded by a microphone or an accelerometer on the transaction card while the transaction card is swiped through the POS terminal or inserted into or removed from the POS terminal. The method includes determining, at the server, a state of the POS terminal based on the received vibration information and in response to a determination of the state of the POS being compromised, sending to one or more stakeholders of the transaction a warning message containing the POS terminal information including the POS terminal's state.

A system includes a device including one or more sensors that generate one or more signals used to detect whether an unauthorized activity has occurred at the device. The device is configured to transmit the one or more signals generated by the one or more sensors. The central monitoring device is configured to receive the one or more signals and compare the one or more signals with a baseline signal for the device. The baseline signal includes an expected signal for each of the one or more sensors when the unauthorized activity has not occurred. The monitoring device determines whether the unauthorized activity has occurred based on a result of the comparison.

Provided are a disturbing magnetic field generator and a card reader capable of suppressing the generation of noise caused by vibration of a core. A disturbing magnetic field generator that generates a disturbing magnetic field for disturbing unauthorized reading of magnetic data recorded on a card includes a coil to generate the disturbing magnetic field, a bobbin including a tubular body part in which the coil is wound on an outer peripheral side, and a core disposed inside the tubular body part. A first gap is provided between the tubular body part and the core.

Examples described herein relate to apparatuses and methods of providing automated teller machine (ATM) status notifications. A method includes detecting a signal near an ATM, determining that the signal is indicative of the ATM being comprised, calculating a compromise score based at least on the determination that the signal is indicative of the ATM being compromised, and displaying an image on a user interface of the user device in a manner that reflects the compromise score.