New Zealand’s stock exchange halts trading for third day in a row
An electronic screen displays international currency rates and the NZ markets on the side of a building on February 7, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Phil Walter | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Trading was halted on New Zealand’s stock exchange on Thursday for a third day in a row following a cyber attack earlier in the week.
“NZX is currently experiencing network connectivity issues. The NZX Main Board, NZX Debt Market and Fonterra Shareholders Market are currently halted. Further information will be provided soon,” bourse operator New Zealand’s Exchange said on its website.
Trading stopped around 11:10 a.m. local time.
NZX said on Tuesday it experienced a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack from overseas through its network service provider, disrupting the final hour of trading in its cash markets. Its websites and the markets announcement platform were also affected.
A day later, it reportedly faced a similar attack, which halted trading at 11:24 a.m. local time until 3 p.m.
DDoS attacks are among the simplest forms of cyber attacks to execute. It involves delivering a heavy stream of information and internet traffic, usually with the help of a network of hacked computers, to overwhelm the systems of a target.
NZX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s emailed request for comments.