A large-scale cyberattack has disrupted the global networks of US-based medical device manufacturer Stryker Corporation, with an Iran-linked hacking group claiming responsibility and warning the incident marks “the beginning of a new chapter in cyber warfare.”
According to international media reports, the hacking persona Handala, which has documented links to Tehran, said it carried out the attack in retaliation for the killing of more than 170 people most of them schoolgirls in a strike on a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on the first day of the US-Israeli military conflict with Iran.
The group claimed it had seized around 50 terabytes of company data, declaring the information was “now in the hands of the free people of the world.”
The cyberattack reportedly began shortly after midnight on the US East Coast on Wednesday, causing widespread outages across Stryker’s global systems. Devices connected to the company’s network including Windows-based laptops and mobile phones — were rendered unusable.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Portage-based company was experiencing a global systems outage. Staff members and contractors told the publication that they saw the logo of the Iran-linked hacking group appearing on company devices, indicating a possible breach.
In a statement issued around 12:32 a.m. EST, Stryker said it was continuing efforts to restore operations.
“We are continuing to resolve the disruption impacting our global network, resulting from the cyberattack,” the company said.
The company added that there was no indication of malware or ransomware, stressing that the disruption appears to be limited to its internal Microsoft-based environment.
Stryker, one of the world’s largest medical technology companies, produces a wide range of surgical equipment and hospital devices used by healthcare providers across the globe.
The incident highlights growing concerns about cyberattacks linked to geopolitical conflicts, as tensions in the region increasingly spill over into the digital domain.
