Security News > 2021 > July > Spike in “Chain Gang” Destructive Attacks on ATMs

The Texas Bankers Association documented at least 139 chain gang attacks against Texas financial institutions in the year ending November 2020.

Santor said the chain gang attacks have spread to other states, and that in the year ending June 2021 Travelers saw a 257 percent increase in the number of insurance claims related to ATM smash-and-grabs.

"It's not stopping," Santor said of the chain gang attacks.

Dodd said she hopes to see more involvement from federal investigators in fighting chain gang attacks, and that it would help if more of these attacks were prosecuted as bank robberies, which can carry stiff federal penalties.

EAST Executive Director Lachlan Gunn said overall physical attacks on ATMs in Europe have been a lot quieter since the pandemic started.

Gunn said the most common physical attacks on European ATMs continue to involve explosives - such as gas tanks and solid explosives that are typically stolen from mining and construction sites.

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https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/07/spike-in-chain-gang-destructive-attacks-on-atms/