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FASTCash did not rely on infecting every ATM. Symantec’s 2018 analysis found Trojan.Fastcash running on a compromised bank payment-switch server, where it intercepted selected ATM transaction messages and sent fabricated approvals. U.S. agencies later reported functionally equivalent Windows malware and attacks reaching regional interbank payment processors.
What Symantec found in the FASTCash ATM attacks
Symantec’s November 2018 investigation described FASTCash as an attack on banks’ retail payment infrastructure. Attackers breached bank networks and compromised application servers that handled ATM transactions. In the analyzed case, the server ran AIX, and the malware was injected into a legitimate process that was already running.
That distinction matters: the analysis describes malware on a bank server that processes transactions, not an implant installed in each ATM. The U.S. government’s 2018 alert likewise characterized FASTCash as remotely compromising payment-switch application servers within banks.
How Trojan.Fastcash made fraudulent withdrawals possible
ATM transactions pass through a bank’s payment switch, which routes and processes messages between the ATM and the financial systems that authorize a transaction. The government advisory identifies ISO 8583 as the financial transaction messaging standard involved.
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- Monitor transaction traffic: The malware watched ISO 8583 messages handled by the compromised switch server.
- Identify selected requests: It looked for transaction requests associated with account numbers being used by the attackers.
- Interfere with normal processing: For selected requests, it stopped the message from continuing through the usual switch workflow.
- Return a fabricated approval: It generated a response that appeared to authorize the withdrawal, allowing the ATM to dispense cash.
Symantec observed different response logic in different malware variants and said the logic appeared suited to different transaction networks. The documented mechanism shows how manipulating a central switch can affect withdrawals at ATMs without requiring attackers to compromise each machine.
What changed after the original AIX analysis
The 2018 Symantec report focused on an AIX sample. In an August 2020 joint advisory, CISA, the U.S. Treasury, the FBI, and U.S. Cyber Command reported functionally equivalent malware for Windows systems as well as the earlier AIX case. The advisory also said activity had expanded beyond individual bank switches to at least two regional interbank payment processors.
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| Aspect | 2018 Symantec analysis | 2020 joint advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Platform described | AIX malware injected into a running legitimate process | Functionally equivalent Windows malware reported alongside the earlier AIX case |
| Payment infrastructure | Compromised bank payment-switch application servers | Individual bank switches and at least two regional interbank payment processors |
Who attributed the activity, and what scale was reported?
Symantec associated FASTCash with Lazarus. The U.S. government called the activity HIDDEN COBRA in its 2018 alert. A 2020 interagency advisory used BeagleBoyz for a subset of North Korean activity and said that label overlaps to varying degrees with industry labels including Lazarus and APT38. These are source-specific naming conventions, not proof that every use of the names refers to exactly the same activity.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe October 2018 U.S. government advisory said FASTCash had targeted banks in Africa and Asia since at least late 2016. It reported simultaneous ATM withdrawals in over 30 countries in one 2017 incident and in 23 countries in one 2018 incident. The same alert cited a trusted partner’s estimate that the campaign had stolen tens of millions of dollars. Those are historical government-reported figures, not an audited current campaign total.
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Separately, the Department of Justice said in December 2020 that the alleged October 2018 FASTCash theft from BankIslami Pakistan Limited was $6.1 million. That case-specific figure should not be treated as the total for the wider campaign.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the public analysis did not establish
Symantec said the payment card numbers used in FASTCash attempts were linked to real accounts, but the researchers did not know how attackers gained control of those accounts. Opening accounts themselves and using stolen cards were possibilities raised in the report, not established findings. Symantec also noted that the affected banking application servers it had heard about ran AIX versions whose service-pack support had ended; that observation does not establish the software status of every targeted bank.
The published material cited here documents findings and official estimates from 2018 and 2020. It does not establish current campaign activity or provide an updated attribution assessment.
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