ATMs contain money, and users can withdraw funds using their bank card when necessary. However, many people never think about the reason for using metal keyboards in ATMs, assuming they could be plastic.
The ATM casing is made of durable and quite heavy metal, which prevents easy theft from the machine. To ensure a longer service life, the keyboard is also made of a durable material. But there is another, extremely important reason.
A plastic keyboard is intentionally not installed on the ATM. If a plastic keyboard were used, people's accounts could be emptied nowadays. The reason is that plastic can retain heat for some time, and this heat can be tracked.
If the ATM keyboard were plastic, a thief could use a thermal imager to find the password digits on the keyboard. A metal keyboard, on the other hand, does not retain heat for as long, which allows a thief to easily detect the password using a thermal imager.
Furthermore, a durable keyboard is used to prevent premature failure of the ATM, as many people use it thousands of times a day. Therefore, the keyboard must be reinforced to function correctly over a long period.
Despite the fact that ATM keyboards are metal, they are specially designed not to rust. This is important because ATMs are often installed outdoors, and corrosion protection is necessary for their normal operation. Therefore, efforts are made to maintain their resistance to rust.
Even if a thief accidentally sets fire to the ATM, the machine does not suffer serious damage because even its weakest part—the keyboard—is made of a durable material. Thanks to this, the ATM can be protected against a certain degree of damage.