Editing ATM (section)

== Software ==
[[File:Windows XP sighted 'in the wild' on a cash point, 3 August 2018.jpg|thumb|right|Although Microsoft discontinued support for the operating system in 2014, a significant number of ATMs as of 2020 still use versions of [[Microsoft Windows XP|Windows XP]], as seen with this machine at a branch of [[Tesco Express]] in [[Slough]], Berkshire.]]
With the migration to commodity Personal Computer hardware, standard commercial "off-the-shelf" operating systems and programming environments can be used inside of ATMs. Typical platforms previously used in ATM development include [[RMX (operating system)|RMX]] or [[OS/2]].

Today, the vast majority of ATMs worldwide use [[Microsoft Windows]].  In early 2014, 95% of ATMs were running Windows XP.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/1/20/5326772/windows-xp-powers-95-percent-of-atms-worldwide|title=The death of Windows XP will impact 95 percent of the world's ATMs|work=The Verge|access-date=2018-01-23|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204090736/https://www.theverge.com/2014/1/20/5326772/windows-xp-powers-95-percent-of-atms-worldwide|archive-date=4 December 2017}}</ref> A small number of deployments may still be running older versions of the Windows OS, such as [[Windows NT]], [[Windows CE]], or [[Windows 2000]], even though Microsoft still supports only [[Windows 10]] and [[Windows 11]].

There is a computer industry security view that general public desktop operating systems have greater risks as operating systems for cash dispensing machines than other types of operating systems like (secure) [[real-time operating system]]s (RTOS). [[RISKS Digest]] has many articles about ATM operating system vulnerabilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/php/risks/search.php?query=cash+machine|title=Risks search results for "cash machine"|access-date=2 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727111748/http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/php/risks/search.php?query=cash+machine|archive-date=27 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Linux]] is also finding some reception in the ATM marketplace. An example of this is [[Banrisul]], the largest bank in the south of [[Brazil]], which has replaced the [[MS-DOS]] operating systems in its ATMs with Linux. [[Banco do Brasil]] is also migrating ATMs to Linux. Indian-based [[Vortex Engineering]] is manufacturing ATMs that operate only with Linux.
Common application layer transaction protocols, such as [[Diebold]] 91x (911 or 912) and [[NCR Corporation|NCR NDC or NDC+]] provide [[Hardware emulation|emulation]] of older generations of hardware on newer platforms with incremental extensions made over time to address new capabilities, although companies like NCR continuously improve these protocols issuing newer versions (e.g. NCR's AANDC v3.x.y, where x.y are subversions). Most major ATM manufacturers provide software packages that implement these protocols. Newer protocols such as IFX have yet to find wide acceptance by transaction processors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.selfserviceworld.com/article.php?id=1252 |title=Messaging standard to give multiple channels a common language |publisher=selfserviceworld.com |access-date=2011-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090329032543/http://www.selfserviceworld.com/article.php?id=1252 |archive-date=29 March 2009 }}</ref>

With the move to a more standardised software base, financial institutions have been increasingly interested in the ability to pick and choose the application programs that drive their equipment. [[WOSA/XFS]], now known as [[CEN/XFS|CEN XFS (or simply XFS)]], provides a common [[API]] for accessing and manipulating the various devices of an ATM. [[J/XFS]] is a Java implementation of the CEN XFS API.

While the perceived benefit of XFS is similar to the Java's "[[write once, run anywhere]]" mantra, often different ATM hardware vendors have different interpretations of the XFS standard. The result of these differences in interpretation means that ATM applications typically use a [[middleware]] to even out the differences among various platforms.

With the onset of Windows operating systems and XFS on ATMs, the software applications have the ability to become more intelligent. This has created a new breed of ATM applications commonly referred to as programmable applications. These types of applications allows for an entirely new host of applications in which the ATM terminal can do more than only communicate with the ATM switch. It is now empowered to connected to other content servers and [[video banking]] systems.

Notable ATM software that operates on XFS platforms include Triton PRISM, [[Diebold]] Agilis EmPower, [[NCR Corporation|NCR APTRA Edge]], Absolute Systems AbsoluteINTERACT, [[KAL (Korala Associates Limited)|KAL Kalignite Software Platform]], Phoenix Interactive VISTAatm, [[Wincor Nixdorf|Wincor Nixdorf ProTopas]], [[Euronet Worldwide|Euronet]] EFTS and Intertech inter-ATM.

With the move of ATMs to industry-standard computing environments, concern has risen about the integrity of the ATM's software stack.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.technewsworld.com/story/32350.html |title=Technology News: Security: Windows Cash-Machine Worm Generates Concern |date=9 December 2003 |publisher=Technewsworld.com |access-date=2011-02-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318100752/http://www.technewsworld.com/story/32350.html |archive-date=18 March 2012 }}</ref>