Software security matters. So does the steel. An ATM stores cash in a public or semi-public place. Physical attack — ram raids, cutting, lock attacks, skimming overlays — remains a live risk. Design has to assume that someone will try.
The housing as a delay mechanism
No enclosure is invulnerable. The engineering goal is to delay entry, trigger sensors, and protect the cash path long enough for response. Hinge design, lock specification, and material choice all serve that delay.
Sensors are part of the architecture
Door contacts, vibration, tilt, and tamper loops turn a silent attack into an event the operations center can see. A strong box that cannot report a breach is only half-secured.
The customer-facing attack surface
Skimming and overlay attacks target the reader and keypad. Physical design — how those components sit in the fascia, how they can be inspected, how tamper is detected — is as important as encryption further down the stack.