Iran-Linked Hackers Carry Out ‘Significant’ Cyberattack

Iran launched a notable strike against the US that didn’t involve missiles, reports the Wall Street Journal, which calls it “likely the most significant wartime cyberattack against the US in history.” Cyber group Handala—seen by US and Israeli experts as working for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence—has claimed responsibility for a hack on Stryker, a Michigan-based medical-equipment giant that makes implants and surgical robots.

Stryker told its 56,000 employees to disconnect from networks after its internal Microsoft systems were compromised, wiping data from Windows laptops and phones and knocking out some ordering systems. The company says its connected medical devices remain safe to use and that disruptions to hospital data transmissions are limited and in some cases voluntary pauses.

Security experts say the breach marks a shift: Iran is now visibly pairing cyber operations with the broader conflict involving US and Israeli forces. Handala framed the hack as payback for a deadly strike on an Iranian school under US investigation. Analysts warn that while Iran’s tools are often crude—think phishing rather than cutting-edge exploits—its willingness to cause disruption is growing, and all private firms, not just critical infrastructure, should be bracing for worst-case cyber scenarios. “Cyber operations don’t require much infrastructure,” one expert tells CNN. “A laptop and an internet connection can be enough to reach out and wreak havoc.” Past cyberattacks by Iran have involved wiping data on computer networks, including a 2012 attack on Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, NBC News reports.