Is Windows XP the right OS for an ATM?

Have you ever wondered what the ATM runs on? Most 0f the ATMs in India (and all around the world) run some flavor of Windows. Nowadays they use XP (some with SP2, if the technical team is good) but I remember seeing Windows 98 (saw BSOD once in one of the Chennai ATMs); Also read somewhere that they used to have embedded Windows NT, OS/2 and sometimes even Windows CE! I know what you must be thinking now - How safe is it, right? A good design should put the ATMs in their own private network, if so I only will be worrying “Who is going to reset the ATM when Windows crashes?  ”; now I realize why the security person in ATM seems to be knowledgeble on the machines…talk of all the ways one can gain some IT gnaan!

Above is an ATM of the famous VTB bank of Russia, powered by an unactivated copy of Windows XP. Look at a closeup of the activation dialog box below.

I wonder why ATMs don’t have their own OSs! When we talk so much about security / WORMS & malware stuff, does it make sense to use a general purpose OS for something so critical as an ATM? Even a cellphone costing a mere INR 4000 has so any OS flavors to choose from, why is the ATM you withdraw that INR 4000 from is stuck with a most-often-unpatched version of Windows? As Obelix would have said - “These ATM makers are crazy!!”

Check out these interesting links related to Windows Crashes:

• Windows crashes on Flight information screens and ATMs
• ATM crash here and here
• Slot machines too…
• Gallery full of Windows crashes on ATMs/slot machines
• Oh no! Even trains are not spared & other Public computer errors

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