Irish banks have been sent into a panic over the realisation that an IT security problem with ATM machines could see hundreds of the machines being forced to shut down within weeks. The reason for the seemingly imminent security threat to the systems is caused by outdated hardware and obsolete software.

The possible threat has resulted in Irish banks rushing to deploy emergency fixes to ATM machines or face new-found risks from malicious software and viruses. Ulster Bank, Bank Of Ireland and AIB have stated that they were working tirelessly to address the situation and were confident customers would not face any disruption. In total, there are more than 3,300 ATM machines in Ireland. Bank Of Ireland has 1,400 of these, while Ulster Bank has 1,100. AIB has 756.