General Bytes suffered a security incident on March 17 and 18, 2023 that allowed hackers to remotely access key service interfaces and send funds from hot wallets, according to the company and sources.

Launching Bitcoin, Monday (3/20/2023), the breach forced the majority of US-based crypto automated teller machine (ATM) operators to temporarily shut down. Hackers were able to liquidate 56.28 Bitcoin, worth approximately USD 1.5 million from about 15 to 20 crypto ATM operators nationwide.

The largest cryptocurrency automated teller machine (ATM) manufacturer, General Bytes, has produced 9,505 such machines globally, with thousands located in the United States. On Saturday, March 18, 2033, the company informed the public of a serious security incident that also occurred on March 17.

“We issued a statement urging customers to take immediate action to protect their personal information. We urge all our customers to take immediate action to protect their funds and personal information and carefully read the security bulletin,” the company said at 16:42 (ET) on Saturday.

General Bytes’ security bulletin said attackers could remotely upload their Java application using the main service interface, which is typically used by terminals to upload videos.

The attackers had access to BATM user rights and could also access the database, read and decrypt API keys used to access funds in wallets and hot exchanges. In addition, hackers can download usernames, access their password hashes, turn off 2FA, and send funds from hot wallets.

Bitcoin.com News spoke with a US-based cryptocurrency automated teller machine (ATM) operator who confirmed that all US operators using General Bytes machines were shut down nationwide for the night. The operator also mentioned the servers had to be rebuilt from the ground up, which could be a lengthy process.