New Zealand deploys spy agency as stock market hit by hackers

New Zealand called in its spy agency and activated security crisis plans to help defend the stock exchange from overseas attack, after hackers disrupted the market for a fourth straight day.

“We as a government are treating this very seriously,” Finance minister Grant Robertson said Friday, adding agencies would coordinate to deal with the threat. “There are limits to what I can say today about the action the government is taking behind the scenes due to significant security considerations.”

The NZ$204 billion ($135 billion) stock market has been the target of distributed-denial-of-service attacks that have overwhelmed its website and forced trading halts since Tuesday. The national security plan is triggered in response to a crisis that threatens New Zealand’s interests or international reputation.