Stryker cyber attack LIVE: Hackers cripple medical giant's global systems

4 days ago 11

Male Hacker Working On The Laptop And Computer

Stryker's global IT systems have been crippled by a suspected cyber attack (Image: Getty)

Stryker's global IT systems have been crippled by a suspected cyber attack, with the issue impacting the US medical technology company leaving thousands of employees unable to work.

The attack, believed to have been orchestrated by an Iranian-backed hacker group, has impacted all of the company's operations in Europe, Asia, and the USA. Most work devices, including personal phones that had a Stryker work profile, have been wiped by cybercriminals, the Irish Mirror has reported. Stryker said in a message to staff based in Cork, Ireland: "We are experiencing a severe, global disruption impacting all Stryker laptops and systems that connect to our network." In a separate update sent to colleagues in Asia, Stryker wrote: "At this time, the root cause has not yet been identified. We are actively engaged with Microsoft and treating this a critical, enterprise-wide incident."

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3 mins ago15:08 Rebecca Robinson

Employers told 'don't connect to company network'

Stryker employees have reportedly been warned not to connect to the company network through any device, including mobile apps like Microsoft's Outlook and Teams, until cleared to do so, according to the Irish Examiner.

'Logo of Iran-linked hacking group on login pages'

"Staff and contractors reporting that the logo of an Iran-linked hacking group has appeared on login pages." the Wall Street Journal reported.

'We're committed to continuing to serve our customers'

A spokesperson for Stryker, quoted by the Irish Mirror, said: "We are currently experiencing a global network disruption affecting the Windows environment.

"Our teams are actively working to restore systems and operations as quickly as possible. Stryker has business continuity measures in place, and we’re committed to continuing to serve our customers."

IT systems still down

All IT systems at Stryker remain down after the cyber attack.

Handala allegedly claiming responsibility for cyber attack

The Iranian-backed hacking group is allegedly claiming to have taken responsibility for the attack.

Thousands unable to work

Thousands of members of staff at the Cork site were left unable to work by the attack.

Iranian-backed group reportedly behind the attack

The Handala hacking group reportedly deployed wiper malware to carry out the cyber attack on Stryker.

What does Stryker do?

Stryker is a global leader in medical technology, manufacturing products for orthopaedics, medical/surgical, and neurotechnology.

Stryker operates in 61 countries

Stryker operates in 61 countries and has more than 56,000 employees. Its Cork base is the biggest site outside of the US.

'Nobody has any idea what is going on'

A source told the Irish Mirror: "Nobody can work. The entire company has been brought to a standstill. Nobody has any idea what is going on. This is going to have a huge knock-on effect."

Company's operations affected worldwide

The attack is understood to have happened overnight and has affected all of the company's operations in Europe, Asia, and the US.

'Severe, global disruption'

Most work devices, including personal phones that had a Stryker work profile, have been wiped by cybercriminals, the Irish Mirror has reported.

Stryker said in a message to staff based in Cork, Ireland: "We are experiencing a severe, global disruption impacting all Stryker laptops and systems that connect to our network."

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