Stryker, a US-based global medical equipment maker, has been affected by a cyber-attack that has crippled its systems, the company has confirmed, in an incident that has been claimed by a pro-Iranian hacking group, amid ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.
Pro-Iranian group Handala claimed credit for the attack in an online message on Wednesday, saying Stryker had been targeted for links to Israel, which along with the US is carrying out strikes on Iran.
Stryker bought Israeli company OrthoSpace in 2019, and also supplies medical devices to the US Department of Defence.
Data loss
The company, based in Portage, Michigan, said it was experiencing a “global network disruption to our Microsoft environment” as a result of a cyber-attack.
“We have no indication of ransomware or malware and believe the incident is contained,” a spokesperson said.
It added that staff were working to understand the impact of the attack and that business continuity measures were in place.
At around midnight US eastern time (4 a.m. GMT), 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, Bloomberg reported.
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.
Cyber-warfare
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.
It has offices in more than 61 countries, including the UK, according to company filings.
Hacking group Handala claimed its attack was in retaliation for a suspected US bombing of an Iranian school and described it as a “new chapter in cyber warfare”.
