A bank's ATM system processes thousands of transactions every day. (a) Using the diagram, describe the process that occurs when a customer withdraws cash fr...
Question 1 Report
A bank's ATM system processes thousands of transactions every day.
(a) Using the diagram, describe the process that occurs when a customer withdraws cash from the ATM. [3]
(b) Explain why the connection between the ATM terminal and the bank server is encrypted. [1]
(c) State two items of data that would be stored in the customer database. [2]
Answer Details
(a) The diagram shows three components: the ATM terminal, the bank server, and the customer database, connected in sequence. When a customer inserts their bank card at the ATM and enters their PIN, the ATM terminal reads these details and transmits them over the encrypted link to the bank server. [1] The bank server then queries the customer database to verify that the PIN is correct and to check whether the account holds sufficient funds for the requested withdrawal. [1] If the PIN matches and the balance is adequate, the bank server sends an authorisation message back to the ATM, which then dispenses the requested cash to the customer. [1]
(b) The connection between the ATM terminal and the bank server is encrypted because it carries highly sensitive data, including the customer's PIN and account details. Encryption scrambles this data during transmission so that even if it is intercepted by an unauthorised party, it cannot be read or understood without the decryption key. [1]
(c) The customer database would store:
- The customer's account number and current account balance [1]
- A record of all recent transactions on the account, such as deposits, withdrawals and transfers [1]
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