This Wired article sent off alarm bells ringing in my head. By 2005, 65% of automated teller machines in the United States will be powered by a pared-down version of Windows, in place of IBM's OS/2 Warp.
Hopefully, what will be cut down are security flaws and other bugs. Security experts' opinions are divided on the issue: some feel that the Windows OS would still be vulnerable to attacks, while others stress that this is unlikely to happen as the ATMs will not be connected to the internet.
On the bright side, this move, according to a report published by consultants Celent, is designed to 'open up' their systems by using an OS compatible to their internal corporate networks. It will also be easier to write code to add new features in the future.
Let's see how it goes.
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