What is Jitter
Let me explain jitter to you directly: it's an anti-skimming technique that distorts the readout of your card's magnetic strip by changing the speed or motion as you swipe or insert it into a card reader or ATM. I designed this explanation to show how jitter makes any information copied by a skimmer unreadable and thus unusable for fraud.
Breaking Down Jitter
You need to understand that jitter combats card skimming, which is one way criminals steal your credit or debit card numbers. They install devices on readers or ATMs to copy the data as your card passes through, then use those numbers for fraudulent purchases.
This technology makes it harder for illegal readers to copy your card numbers. You'll find it most often in ATMs and machines that automatically draw in your card for scanning, not so much in ones where you swipe it yourself.
The jitter works as a stutter in the card draw timing. When you insert your card into an ATM, the machine doesn't pull it in steadily; it stops and starts the scan. Many skimmers need a smooth swipe to work properly. But jitter doesn't perform well in machines where you manually dip your card, like in older ATMs or some modern ones.
I want to be clear: jitter isn't foolproof against skimmers, but it can lower the percentage of cards they successfully read if a skimmer is installed.
One thing you might notice is that jitter can cause your card to fail reading even in legitimate readers, just as it disrupts skimmers.
Jitter's Efficacy in a Fast-Changing Security Landscape
Jitter has been around for more than a decade, but its ability to protect your financial data isn't as strong as it used to be. For example, back in 2012, BankInfoSecurity posted '3 Reasons Skimmers Are Winning,' questioning its effectiveness.
They stated that the anti-skimming feature known as jitter, which uses a stop-start motion at the card reader to prevent copying details, is standard but has been defeated.
Introduced to the U.S. market over seven years before that by manufacturers like NCR Corp., Diebold, Fujitsu, and Wincor Nixdorf AG, jitter is still the leading tech banks use against skimming. But it's only effective on ATMs with motorized readers that pull the card in, read the mag-stripe, and push it out. It doesn't work on dip readers where you insert and withdraw the card manually.
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