Diebold launches ValiTech security for ATMs

NORTH CANTON, Ohio (10/29/09)--ATM manufacturer Diebold has released ValiTech, a two-factor authentication technology that uses a secure USB device to identify and authorize technicians who service ATMs.

Attacks against ATMs and customer transaction data are becoming increasingly sophisticated, so authenticating all users at the self-service channel is growing more critical by the day for financial institutions, Diebold said.

Prior to ValiTech, Diebold service technicians had to secure a temporary password, provided by the financial institution, each time they had to access the system level of the ATM. This practice holds true for any service technician accessing an institution's ATM, requiring multiple calls and generating numerous temporary passwords, Diebold said.

ValiTech links each authorized technician to a USB hardware device, using a digital certificate. Access is further controlled through a personal identification number or pass phrase, set by and known only to the technician, which ties the technician to the digital certificate and the USB device.

Through ValiTech, the ATM can identify the authorized Diebold associate accessing the system and grant restricted authorization to the unit's system functions based on the technician's role and status. ValiTech then creates an audit trail documenting each time a technician is granted access and recording all menu activities executed during the service call.

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