Medical equipment maker Stryker said a cyber-attack this week claimed by an Iran-linked group has caused widespread disruption to its business.
The attack has affected the company’s ability to process orders, manufacture products and ship items to customers, it said.
The cyber-intrusion, which reportedly wiped data from systems, has not affected any patient-related services or connected medical products, Michigan-based Stryker said.
Widespread impact
It added that the full scale and financial impact are not yet known.
The firm, with 56,000 staff and operations in 61 countries, including the UK, said it continues to investigate.
At around midnight US eastern time (4 a.m. GMT) on Wednesday, Stryker staff saw systems go down in front of them one at a time and tried to unplug some machines to save data, but in some offices as many as 95 percent of systems were wiped, according to reports.
According to local Michigan media, employees began receiving text messages just before 7:30 a.m. ET saying the company was “experiencing a severe, global disruption impacting all Stryker laptops and systems that connect our network” and warning staff not to connect to any Stryker network or mobile app.
Retaliatory hack
Stryker makes a range of medical devices and equipment, including orthopedics, surgical tools, neurotechnology and spinal products, marketing most wares to doctors and hospitals, according to its website.
Iranian-linked hacking group Handala claimed the attack, saying it was in retribution for the destruction of a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran.
The school was struck in the first day of military action by the US and Israel against Iran, with the deaths of an estimated 150 students, Iran’s ambassador do the UN said.
