Programmer Heads to Prison After Planting Cash-Spitting Malware on ATMs

A former Bank of America (BOA) computer programmer was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, after he installed malware on Bank of America ATMs that allowed him to suck out large amounts of cash from the machines. He pleaded guilty on April 13, 2011 and was sentenced this week.

According to the Department of Justice, Rodney Reed Caverly, 54, was hired by Bank of America and assigned to work on a project involving the bank’s ATM systems. From March 2009 to October 2009, Caverly knowingly and with intent to defraud, exceeded his authorized access by gaining access to one or more protected BOA computers and installed malware on select Bank of America ATMs. The malware that he installed on certain ATMs enabled him to suck cash from the machines without any transaction record of the disbursements. Fortunately, his actions didn’t affect any customer accounts, as the code caused only the unauthorized disbursement of cash stored in the ATM machines, not tied to any accounts.

Caverly was ordered by a judge to pay restitution in the amount of $419,310.90. The restitution amount includes $284,750 Caverly stole from ATMs and $134,750.90 in costs incurred by BOA to remove from the bank’s malware-infected ATMs. U.S. Secret Service agents also recovered $167,010 of stolen cash.

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The investigation was handled by the U.S. Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Malley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.

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