The National Stock Exchange (NSE), India’s largest financial market platform, faces an estimated 170 million cyberattacks every day, prompting a dedicated team of “cyber warriors” to defend its digital infrastructure round the clock.
According to senior NSE officials, the exchange recorded its highest-ever 400 million cyberattacks in a single day during Operation Sindoor, a simulated Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) event. Despite the massive assault, the attackers failed to breach the system, thanks to a seamless collaboration between human expertise, machines, and advanced security technologies.
“Every day, millions of cyberattacks take place on the NSE. But our technical teams, their systems, and technology combat these attacks round the clock using specialised software,” a senior exchange official has been quoted by media.
The exchange’s cyber defence network operates from twin centres equipped with upgraded software and AI-enabled tools that continuously monitor, neutralise, and repel large-scale digital threats to maintain uninterrupted trading and investor confidence.
Robust Cybersecurity Architecture
Officials highlighted that the NSE’s cyber architecture combines tech-savvy personnel, cutting-edge machines, and multi-layered technology designed to ensure business continuity. The exchange enforces stringent internal cybersecurity norms and conducts Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) regularly across all trading members and staff. To further strengthen the industry’s resilience, NSE also offers a Cybersecurity Fundamentals Training Programme through its academy, aiming to build awareness and capability within the broader trading ecosystem.
Trading members are required to undergo periodic cybersecurity and cyber-resilience audits, with reports mandatorily submitted to the exchange. The NSE’s protective measures extend to its operational protocols, including strict control over email systems, external data transfers, and portable storage devices such as pen drives. Any suspicious activity immediately triggers pop-up alerts and system responses designed to isolate and contain potential threats.
Surviving ‘Operation Sindoor’
A group of visiting journalists from Jammu and Kashmir recently witnessed the scale of the NSE’s security operations firsthand. Officials shared insights into Operation Sindoor, a high-intensity simulation exercise or possible security event during which the exchange faced 400 million attempted cyber intrusions in a single day.
In response, NSE temporarily restricted foreign access to its public website as a precautionary measure, ensuring no compromise to its trading systems or data infrastructure. Officials explained that a DDoS attack floods servers with fake traffic from multiple sources, overwhelming systems and preventing genuine users from accessing services — a risk that could cripple industries like financial markets, which rely on continuous, real-time transactions.
Backup Systems and Digital Fortification
The exchange maintains a self-activated backup system located in Chennai, capable of being operated remotely through a secure, formalised digital protocol.
“From trading systems to backup setups, the system largely takes care of itself. It can correct faults or errors automatically with minimal human intervention. If any problem arises here, a parallel backup setup in Chennai becomes operational after the necessary processes,” an official explained, adding that such a switch has never been needed so far.
The NSE leadership has emphasised that any successful cyberattack could have a cascading effect across India’s financial ecosystem, given the interconnected nature of its systems with brokers, clearing houses, and other financial intermediaries.
“In case of a breach, whatever is connected to us will get affected,” a senior official warned, underscoring the criticality of defending the market infrastructure from even minor digital vulnerabilities.
A Growing Global Risk
Experts believe the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of global financial networks have made cyberattacks a significant systemic threat. Despite the high sophistication of its security setup, NSE officials admit that cyberattacks can be launched at minimal cost, making them a constant and evolving risk.
To combat this, the exchange’s cyber defence strategy continues to evolve, integrating machine learning, AI-driven detection tools, and international threat intelligence feeds to stay ahead of attackers.
As India’s financial backbone and one of the world’s largest stock exchanges, the NSE’s success in combating relentless cyber onslaughts showcases the nation’s advancing capabilities in financial cybersecurity — but also underlines the need for constant vigilance in an era of digital warfare. |
