Iran-linked Handala claims cyberattack on Stryker — 200,000 systems wiped, 50TB extracted

Iran-linked hacking group Handala claimed responsibility for a sweeping cyberattack on US medical technology giant Stryker, stating it wiped more than 200,000 systems and extracted 50 terabytes of data as retaliation for military strikes on Iran. 'Our major cyber operation has been executed with complete success,' Handala said in a statement, describing the attack as retaliation for 'the brutal attack on the Minab school' and for 'ongoing cyber assaults against the infrastructure of the Axis of Resistance.' The group claims it shut down Stryker offices in 79 countries and that all extracted data is 'now in the hands of the free people of the world.' It issued a warning: 'This is only the beginning of a new chapter in cyber warfare.' Stryker is a global medical device company founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with approximately 56,000 employees and $25.12 billion in 2025 revenues, manufacturing orthopedic implants, surgical instruments, hospital beds, and robotic surgery systems. The attack has not been independently verified. Handala is an Iran-linked hacktivist group that has previously conducted operations against Israeli and Western targets. If the attack is confirmed at scale, wiping 200,000 systems across 79 countries would represent one of the most destructive cyberattacks in history. The targeting of medical infrastructure — hospital beds, surgical systems, robotic surgery — raises international humanitarian law concerns.