US Medical Giant Crippled by Iranian Cyberattack

U.S.-based medical giant Stryker experienced major disruptions across its devices and systems due to a cyberattack claimed by the Iran-linked hacker group Handala. Operations could be affected worldwide.

Stryker, the U.S.-based medical device manufacturer, announced that its global networks were seriously disrupted by a cyberattack carried out last Wednesday. The company alleged that the attack was conducted by an Iran-linked hacker group. The incident affected Stryker’s internal Microsoft environment and resulted in the deletion of information on certain devices.

An employee stated that company phones were brought to a near standstill, causing major communication disruptions. In its filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Stryker said that the full operational and financial impact of the incident is not yet known and that it cannot provide a clear timeline for when systems will be fully restored.

A severe cyberattack allegedly linked to IranIn its official statement, the company emphasized that there were no signs of malware or ransomware. It also noted that “the situation is limited to our internal Microsoft environment only.” In addition, Stryker stressed that its products, including devices such as Mako, Vocera, and LIFEPAK35, remain secure.

The Iran-linked hacker group Handala (or Hanzala), which claimed responsibility for the attack, posted on X that it had exfiltrated 50 terabytes of critical data from Stryker and wiped more than 200,000 systems, servers, and mobile devices.

Reddit users and sources cited by The Wall Street Journal confirmed that Handala displayed its logo on employee login pages. The attack is said to have affected all of Stryker’s operations across Europe, Asia, and the United States. An employee at the company’s Cork facility in Ireland told the Irish Mirror, “The whole company has almost come to a standstill. Nobody knows what is happening. This is going to create a huge domino effect,” adding that most company-issued devices had been wiped.

In addition, the international impact of the attack is already beginning to emerge. Hospitals in Australia have gone on alert because of critical medical and surgical equipment supplied by Stryker. Although officials have so far stated that no disruptions have occurred, cybersecurity experts warn that this attack may be the first sign of a broader wave of attacks targeting U.S. companies and could create supply chain risks for Australia’s healthcare infrastructure.

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