Stryker offices hit by cyberattack
The Cork offices of medical device manufacturer Stryker were brought to a standstill yesterday, Wednesday, after a major global cyberattack.
Staff were unable to access emails, phones, or internal systems. Attempts by the Cork Independent to ring Stryker Cork were unsuccessful as the factory's phones were unable to accept calls. Staff were sent home early yesterday.
The attack was alleged to have been carried out by a pro-Palestinian group called Handala, which is said to have links to the Iranian government.
Problems at sites worldwide, including India, Australia, the US, and the UK were reported by Stryker staff on Wednesday morning on the internet forum Reddit. Email, phone, and internal systems were allegedly brought down. Mobile phones connected to Stryker’s systems were also wiped.
Hacking attempts targeting US and Israeli companies have increased since both countries began military attacks on Iran, according to cybersecurity analysis company Intel 471.
In 2025, Stryker signed a $450 million contract with the US Department of Defence to provide medical equipment, such as patient monitoring equipment, to the US military.
A spokesperson for Stryker last night confirmed the attack. “Stryker is 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.
"Our teams are working rapidly to understand the impact of the attack on our systems.
"Stryker has business continuity measures in place to continue to support our customers and partners. We are committed to transparency and will keep stakeholders informed as we know more,” they said.
Handala is the name of a cartoon Palestinian boy, originally designed by Palestinian artist Naji Al-ali for the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah in 1969. It is used as the symbol for a number of pro-Palestinian causes, including the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction (BDS) campaign.
A number of other sites worldwide were targeted recently by the hacker group Handala, including the Academy of the Hebrew Language in Jerusalem. The institution’s website was disabled, and replaced with a picture of the Handala cartoon.
It was accompanied by a message in English reading: “No need to learn Hebrew anymore. You won’t need it for much longer.”
The Iran-linked group has also claimed responsibility for hacking Saudi oil giant Aramco and former Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked in recent weeks. Iran is at war with the US and Israel.