Blue-chip stocks tumbled in New York yesterday amid worries about rising interest rates, while a rash of attacks on leading Web sites deflated the high-flying technology sector.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 258.44, or 2.4 per cent, to close at 10,699.16. Broader stock indicators were also lower. The Standard and Poor's 500 fell 30.01 to 1,411.71, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 64.70 to 4,362.80.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 2-to-1 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 2,006 down, 1,029 up and 485 unchanged.

NYSE volume totalled 1.041 billion shares against 1.044 billion in the previous session.