New York Stock Exchange reopens after 'technical issue' halts ALL trading, just two hours after United was also forced to ground its flights after a 'router fault'

  • NYSE halted at 11:32am and only reopened at 3:10pm 
  • Exchange says problem is an internal glitch and not result of cyberattack
  • Believed software update carried out last night could be cause  
  • White House claims there are 'no signs of malicious activity'

The New York Stock Exchange, United Airlines and the Wall Street Journal have all fallen victim to a series of massive technical glitches within hours of each other.

NYSE halted all trading for 'technical reasons' at 11:32am and only reopened at 3:10pm - but says the problem is an internal one and not the result of a cyberattack.

It comes as tens of thousands of United Airlines passengers were stranded at U.S. airports on Wednesday morning after all of the carrier's flights were grounded nationwide due to a 'router problem' 

The Wall Street Journal was also left unable to publish for several hours after its systems came under attack. 

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Traders wait anxiously after the NYSE halted all trading, for 'technical reasons' - but says the problem is an internal one and not the result of a cyberattack.

Traders wait anxiously after the NYSE halted all trading, for 'technical reasons' - but says the problem is an internal one and not the result of a cyberattack.

The NYSE halt started at 11:32am and was triggered by 'technical issues'

The NYSE halt started at 11:32am and was triggered by 'technical issues'

WHAT HAPPENED 

UNITED: Tens of thousands of United Airlines passengers were stranded at U.S. airports on Wednesday morning after all of the carrier's flights were grounded nationwide due to a computer system glitch.

NYSE: NYSE halted all trading, claiming the glitch is a result of an internal error.

WSJ: Was unable to publish new stories due to glitch, now publishing cut down site.

The Homeland Secretary Johnson said the problems were not related to 'nefarious' activity. 

The White House confirmed that the President was briefed on the issues

'At this point there in no indication of malicious actions,' said spokesman Josh Earnest.

'NYSE officials have been in contact with homeland security and SEC, and the President has asked to be kept updated.'

The security of federal systems was also addressed.

'We work aggressively to make sure the defences we have in place reflect the threats we perceive, and that is continually evolving.

'I can assure you that officials are very vigilant.'

Jane Lute of the Center for Internet Security, who previously worked as part of homeland security, told CNN 'The episodes may not be related or malicious. 

'We would be looking for signs there are malicious elements here. We would tell people they need to follow good cyber hygiene.' 

Computer security expert Graham Cluley warned against people blaming the issue on hackers. 

'My guess is that they turned a piece of equipment off and on again, and got things back to normal,' he said.

'Okay, so maybe it was a bit more complicated than that - but in my experience that's the basic solution for most IT problems.

'Similarly, the NYSE could be suffering from a technical glitch that has nothing to do with hoody-wearing hackers in the employ of the People's Liberation Army.

'Even if it was found that hackers were to blame, attributing an attack to a particular country is *notoriously* difficult. Stay safe folks, and don't panic.'

The NYSC halt started at 11:32am and was triggered by 'technical issues,' the NYSE said in a statement.

The White House confirmed that the President was briefed on the issues 'At this point there in no indication of malicious actions,' said spokesman Josh Earnest.

The White House confirmed that the President was briefed on the issues 'At this point there in no indication of malicious actions,' said spokesman Josh Earnest.

'We're currently experiencing a technical issue we're working to resolve as quickly as possible,' the statement reads, adding that 'additional information will follow as soon as possible.'

'We're doing our utmost to produce a swift resolution & will be providing further updates as soon as we can.e as quickly as possible,' it later tweeted.

Soon after it claimed 'The issue we are experiencing is an internal technical issue and is not the result of a cyber breach.

'We chose to suspend trading on NYSE to avoid problems arising from our technical issue.' 

'NYSE-listed securities continue to trade unaffected on other market centers.' 

It is believed the exchange updated parts of it software last night, and that investigators are focusing on this as a potential cause of the problem. 

It is hoped trading could resume at around 2pm this afternoon.

Mark Otto of J. Streicher & Co in New York told Reuters from the NYSE floor.

'It's under control. We're just waiting for word. 

'There's no sign of panic at all,'

'We're waiting to hear word on if there's going to be a reopening, and when it is or any more details.'

MSNBC claims the FBI is investigating the incidents.

The Department of Homeland Security has also issued a statement about the shutdown, saying there is currently 'no sign of malicious activity'. 

CYBER ATTACK ON US POWER SYSTEM COULD COST $1 TRILLION 

A cyber attack which shuts down parts of the United States' power grid could cost as much as $1 trillion to the U.S. economy, according to a report published on Wednesday.

Company executives are worried about security breaches, but recent surveys suggest they are not convinced about the value or effectiveness of cyber insurance.

The report from the University of Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies and the Lloyd's of London insurance market outlines a scenario of an electricity blackout that leaves 93 million people in New York City and Washington DC without power.

The scenario, developed by Cambridge, is technologically possible and is assessed to be within the once-in-200-year probability for which insurers should be prepared, the report said.

The hypothetical attack causes a rise in mortality rates as health and safety systems fail, a drop in trade as ports shut down and disruption to transport and infrastructure.

'The total impact to the U.S. economy is estimated at $243 billion, rising to more than $1 trillion in the most extreme version of the scenario,' the report said. 

The losses come from damage to infrastructure and business supply chains, and are estimated over a five-year time period.

The extreme scenario is built on the greatest loss of power, with 100 generators taken offline, and would lead to insurance industry losses of more than $70 billion, the report added.

There have been 15 suspected cyber attacks on the U.S. electricity grid since 2000, the report said, citing U.S. energy department data. 

With nothing to buy or sell, traders on the usually frantic stock floor were seen sitting and standing around staring at the blank trading terminals where they usually do business. 

The halt comes on the same day that United Airlines flights around the country were grounded due to a nationwide technical issue on their own network.

The Wall Street Journal newspaper's website homepage has also broken down, and only displays an error message. 

Traders on the floor say they were handed out a piece of paper this morning before trading, with a list of 'possibly problematic' stocks, according to CNN. 

Some of those stocks include Korea Electric Power and American companies like Kate Spade and Nordstrom.

Grounded: At around 8am EST, United requested that all of its planes be prevented from taking off after it suffered from a 'network connectivity issue', according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory

Grounded: At around 8am EST, United requested that all of its planes be prevented from taking off after it suffered from a 'network connectivity issue', according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory

Not going anywhere: Although United did not explain the nature of the issue, passengers said its reservation system was 'down across the board' - meaning those without hard boarding passes could not check in

Not going anywhere: Although United did not explain the nature of the issue, passengers said its reservation system was 'down across the board' - meaning those without hard boarding passes could not check in

However, it's unclear if that list has anything to do with the ongoing trading shutdown. 

Elsewhere, tens of thousands of United Airlines passengers were stranded at U.S. airports on Wednesday morning after all of the carrier's flights were grounded nationwide due to a computer system glitch.

The problem was traced to a faulty router.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Dohm said that the router problem caused 'degraded network connectivity,' which affected various applications.

At around 8am EST, United requested that all of its planes be prevented from taking off after it suffered from a 'network connectivity issue', according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Although the airline did not explain the nature of the issue, passengers said its reservation system was 'down across the board' - meaning those without hard boarding passes could not check in.

At some airports, United staff were pictured writing out boarding passes for fliers by hand. Shortly before 10am - two hours after the nationwide ground stop began - United resumed its service.

Apology: On Wednesday morning, United Airlines apologized for 'any inconvenience' caused to customers

Apology: On Wednesday morning, United Airlines apologized for 'any inconvenience' caused to customers

Update: The airline later took to Twitter to inform customers that it was restoring its flight operations

Update: The airline later took to Twitter to inform customers that it was restoring its flight operations

In a statement before the stop was lifted, United spokesman Luke Punzenberger told Bloomberg that the company had experienced a 'network connectivity issue' and was 'working to resolve this'.

'[We] apologize to our customers for any inconvenience,' he added.

The computer error caused delays for around 3,500 flights at major U.S. airports before it was resolved, NBC reports. On its website, the FAA says the incident was due to 'automation issues'.

The glitch does not appear to have affected airborne flights.

Although a FAA advisory, seen by ABC, states that the ground stop began just before 8am EST, it was not reported until 9am - and United did not confirm the incident on Twitter until about 9.40am.

At 9.20am, United's feeder airlines - such as United Express - were released from the ground stop. However, United flights remained grounded until just before 9:47 a.m, according to CNN Money

The widespread delays that occurred as a result of the computer glitch could have a snowball effect on flights traveling to hundreds of domestic and international destinations, aviation experts say.  

Angry: A Twitter user posted this photo of himself and his friends looking annoyed on a grounded United flight

Angry: A Twitter user posted this photo of himself and his friends looking annoyed on a grounded United flight

Stuck on the tarmac: Alongside the image, the user wrote that he was 'not happy' with the nationwide situation

Stuck on the tarmac: Alongside the image, the user wrote that he was 'not happy' with the nationwide situation

Handwritten: Flights that were airborne at the time of the incident are not thought to have been affected by the glitch. Above, a Twitter user holds up his boarding pass, which had to be hand-written due to the error

Handwritten: Flights that were airborne at the time of the incident are not thought to have been affected by the glitch. Above, a Twitter user holds up his boarding pass, which had to be hand-written due to the error

Queue: United passengers are pictured queuing up outside a U.S. airport during the nationwide ground stop

Queue: United passengers are pictured queuing up outside a U.S. airport during the nationwide ground stop

Less that two hours after the error was resolved, the New York Stock Exchange halted all trading, for reasons not yet announced. CNBC reports that the halt was triggered by 'technical issues'. 

On Wednesday morning, passengers were taking to the airline forum flyertalk.com to discuss the United ground stop, with one saying the pilot told them 'three of four' computer systems were down.

Another said their plane had headed to the runway to depart, before turning back to the gate. 

And a passenger at Port Columbus Airport in Ohio said the gate agent had told them that United's reservation system, SHARES, was 'down across the board', resulting in the nationwide incident.

'Every flight is delayed at the moment. Rough start to the day,' the user added. 

Indeed, at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United passengers without a hard copy of their boarding pass were not being allowed to check in for their flights, NBC reports. 

Confused: Shortly before 10am - two hours after the worldwide ground stop began - United resumed its service. Above, passengers are pictured queuing up at a United customer service desk during the incident

Confused: Shortly before 10am - two hours after the worldwide ground stop began - United resumed its service. Above, passengers are pictured queuing up at a United customer service desk during the incident

Stranded: One Twitter user uploaded this photo of several United planes stuck on the tarmac to the website

Stranded: One Twitter user uploaded this photo of several United planes stuck on the tarmac to the website

Incident: On the FAA's website, the reason for the nationwide grounding is cited as being 'automation issues' 

Incident: On the FAA's website, the reason for the nationwide grounding is cited as being 'automation issues' 

Meanwhile, at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois - where around 120 flights reported delays - passenger queues stretched throughout the departure hall, with barely any room to move.

It is the second time in just five weeks that United has grounded all of its U.S. flights due to 'automation issues' after the airline suffered a lack of 'proper dispatch information' on June 2.

In that instance, the airline's U.S. planes were prevented from taking off for less than an hour. 

In 2012, United switched to a new passenger information computer system that was previously used by merger partner, Continental Airlines - and subsequently suffered a number of systematic issues. 

The airline has hubs at San Francisco International Airport and New Jersey's Newark Liberty Airport.

An investigation into Wednesday's incident is ongoing.

'Missing meetings': United flier Anthony Barrows took to Twitter to express his frustration at the incident

'Missing meetings': United flier Anthony Barrows took to Twitter to express his frustration at the incident

'How do all your computers crash at once?' Another flier asked whether United had backed up its systems

'How do all your computers crash at once?' Another flier asked whether United had backed up its systems

 

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