A hacking group linked to Iran has claimed responsibility for a major cyber attack on Stryker, an American medical device and healthcare services company. This information has come to light through messages posted on the Telegram channel of that group. About 56 thousand employees work in this Michigan-based company and its operations are spread in 61 countries. The company said in a report given to the American regulating body US Securities and Exchange Commission that due to this cyber attack, some of its systems have been disrupted and many services have been disrupted to some extent. The company also said that it is not yet clear how much time it will take for all systems to become completely normal.
Some employees and contractors claimed on social media that the logo of an Iran-linked hacking group was visible on the company’s login page. However, these claims could not be independently verified. A spokesperson of the company said that at present there is no indication of the use of ransomware or any malware and as per initial investigation, the incident has been brought under control. However, he did not tell who could be behind this attack. When called to the company’s headquarters in Portage, Michigan, a recorded message said that work had been affected due to an emergency in the building. After this incident, the shares of the company also saw a decline. On Wednesday (March 11, 2026), shares of Stryker (SYK) closed down approximately 3.6 percent.
Fear of cyber attacks increased during war
According to Reuters report, cyber security experts believe that this attack took place at a time when the fear of cyber attacks had increased after the air strikes on Iran by America and Israel. Cynthia Kaiser, senior executive of cyber security company Halcyon and former FBI cyber officer, said that concerns were already being raised about such attacks. According to him, groups associated with Iran may try to take revenge by targeting American companies. The group Handala, which claimed responsibility for the attack, has already claimed cyber attacks on many institutions in Israel and other countries. The group said in its Telegram message that the attack was carried out in response to the attack on a school in the city of Minab in southern Iran. According to Ali Bahrini, Ambassador of Iran’s UN Mission in Geneva, about 150 students were killed in the attack on that school in Minab, although this figure could not be independently confirmed.
When did the glitch occur in the company’s network?
According to the report, the disturbance in the company’s network started after midnight on Wednesday. Employees found that data on several remote devices running Microsoft Windows, such as laptops and mobile phones, that were connected to the company’s systems had been wiped. A White House official said that the Trump administration is constantly monitoring potential cyber threats and is preparing a response in collaboration with essential agencies and law enforcement agencies. At present, no response has been given by the FBI and Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency on this matter. According to cyber security company Check Point, Handala Group has been linked to several “hack and leak” operations and data destruction attacks. The company’s chief of staff Gil Messing said that the group is believed to be linked to Iran’s intelligence ministry and its activities have been monitored for years. According to him, openly taking responsibility for this attack shows that cyber groups associated with Iran are now working more aggressively than before.
