A group of hackers believed to be linked to Iran has claimed responsibility for a major cyberattack on U.S. medical technology company Stryker, reportedly disrupting systems around the world.
The group, known as Handala, said it carried out the attack and wiped large parts of the company’s digital infrastructure. According to messages posted on a social media account linked to the group, more than 200,000 systems, servers, and mobile devices were erased, and about 50 terabytes of data were taken during the operation.
The hackers said the attack was carried out in retaliation for recent U.S. military actions in Iran, including a reported strike on a girls’ school in Minab that allegedly caused significant casualties. The group also claimed the cyberattack was a response to what it described as ongoing cyber operations targeting Iran and its allies.
Stryker is a major medical technology company that develops equipment and software used by hospitals around the world. The company does not appear to have a direct connection to the military operations mentioned by the hackers, although it has operations in Israel and previously secured a $450 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to supply medical devices.
Reports indicate that the disruption is affecting systems globally. Some login pages reportedly displayed the logo of the hacker group, suggesting that parts of the company’s network had been compromised.
A spokesperson for Stryker confirmed that the company is dealing with a major cyber incident. The company said it is experiencing a global network disruption affecting its Microsoft environment.
“Stryker is experiencing a global network disruption to our Microsoft environment as a result of a cyberattack,” the spokesperson said. “We have no indication of ransomware or malware and believe the incident is contained.”
The company added that teams are working to restore systems and maintain operations using existing business continuity plans.
Internal messages reportedly sent to employees described the situation as a severe disruption affecting both client devices and servers across the company’s Windows environment. The outage has made it difficult for employees to access key systems and services.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has not publicly commented on the incident.
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Handala is a hacktivist group that cybersecurity researchers say emerged after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. According to threat intelligence platforms, the group has previously targeted Israeli infrastructure, energy companies in the Gulf region, and Western organizations. Its operations often involve disruptive cyberattacks, data theft, and the release of stolen information intended to create political and psychological pressure.
