‘Axis Of Resistance’: Iran-Linked Hackers Claim Cyberattack On US Medical Device Firm

Last Updated:March 12, 2026, 11:38 IST

Iran-linked hacking group Handala claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on US-based Stryker, causing global disruptions, in retaliation for military strikes Minab school.

An Iran-linked hacking group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a cyberattack targeting US-based medical equipment company Stryker, resulting in its products going offline across its global offices.

The hacking group Handala said on its Telegram channel that it carried out the attack in retaliation for recent military strikes on Iran and claimed cyber operations against what it called the “Axis of Resistance."

It described the hack as retribution for what it called “the brutal attack on the Minab school" in Iran, where authorities said more than 150 people were killed, and for “ongoing cyber assaults against the infrastructure of the Axis of Resistance," news agency AFP reported.

Handala said all extracted data was “now in the hands of the free people of the world."

“Our major cyber operation has been executed with complete success," the group said in a statement, claiming it had extracted about 50 terabytes of data from Stryker’s systems.

Stryker confirmed it was dealing with a cyber incident that disrupted parts of its technology network.

“We are experiencing a global network disruption to our Microsoft environment as a result of a cyberattack," a company spokesperson said, adding that there was no indication of ransomware or malware and that the incident appeared to be contained.

The outage affected employees and contractors across multiple countries, with some staff reporting that devices connected to Stryker’s network — including laptops and mobile phones — had been wiped.

Handala continued calling Stryker a “Zionist-rooted corporation" and “one of the key arms of the global Zionist lobby and a central ring in the ‘New Epstein’ chain." The hacker group’s logo appeared on Stryker company log-in pages following the attack, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The cyberattack reportedly began shortly after midnight on the US East Coast.

Founded in Michigan, Stryker employs around 56,000 people and operates in more than 60 countries, producing a wide range of medical technologies including surgical instruments, orthopedic implants and hospital equipment.

News of the disruption rattled investors, with Stryker’s shares falling about 3.4% during Wednesday’s trading session.

Neither the FBI nor the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency responded to requests for comment.

Stryker, which makes everything from artificial joints and surgical instruments to hospital beds and robotic surgery systems, reported revenues of more than $25bn in 2025 and says its products reach more than 150 million patients annually across 61 countries.

Handala also claimed a simultaneous attack on payments company Verifone, which denied any disruption to its services.

The IRGC warned this week that US and Israeli-linked “economic centres and banks" across the region were now legitimate targets, while state-affiliated media published a list of US tech firms, including Google, Microsoft and Nvidia, describing their regional infrastructure as “Iran’s new targets."

(With inputs from agencies)

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