So ATM's and POS terminals control the physical access to their boxes in such a way that only authorized users can be physically near them?!
Come on guys, there is more to security than tactical solutions. Architect your system such that vulnerable data is NOT on vulnerable machines. Mimic what already works out in the field.
Anyone can gain physical access to an ATM or POS terminal, but that doesn't mean that the entire bank or even one account holder is compromised.
Use the Net!
You've never used an ATM machine in an atrium or other entryway, the kind where you had to slide your card in a slot to get the electronic lock to switch off before you could even get at the machine?
I wanna move wherever you are - it sounds like a much nicer and more innocent place than the rest of the world ;)
Anyone can gain physical access to an ATM or POS terminal, but that doesn't mean that the entire bank or even one account holder is compromised.
That's great, but unfortunately my computer has to have access to anyone's account that I so choose, rather than simply restricting me to one account - my own. Why? Because that's what I do all day. I have to be able to do things that ATM machines are designed to prevent people from doing, so telling me to make it like an ATM machine doesn't solve my problem. And that kind of power raises issues that the people who make ATM's don't have to worry about, like really controlling who has physical access to my machine.