A global cyberattack has hit Stryker, affecting employee accounts worldwide including thousands of workers at its Cork plants, as per Irish Examiner. Hackers reportedly replaced internal login pages with the logo of Handala. Many employees have also lost access to their accounts after data on their devices was reportedly wiped.
Stryker hit with cyberattck: ‘Wiper’ attack shuts down systems
The medical technology company, which has up to 5,000 employees in Ireland and its Irish headquarters in Cork, was targeted in what sources described as a “wiper” cyberattack. In this type of attack, data on the targeted IT systems is completely erased and cannot be recovered.
The National Cyber Security Centre in Dublin has been informed and is responding to the incident. Wiper attacks are considered very serious because they are usually politically motivated rather than carried out for financial gain.
According to Irish Examiner, the systems at the Cork headquarters have been “shut down” and devices used by employees were wiped during the attack. Login pages on affected devices were also defaced with the Handala logo.
Handala Hack is linked to the Iranian regime, which is currently engaged in military and economic warfare in response to the US and Israeli bombardment of the country. The group has also claimed to have broken into the website of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, The Jerusalem Post reported.
International technology media reports suggest the group has also compromised several oil and gas installations across Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Israeli National Cyber Directorate said it has been trying to intercept a wave of Iranian cyberattacks targeting Israeli civilian companies in recent days.
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Stryker employees locked out, production affected
The shutdown has had a major financial impact on Stryker as the attack disrupted the technology used to manufacture its medical products and devices. The company is now trying to restore production to machines that were affected. Some manufacturing machines in Cork are still operating but it is unclear how long they will continue to run.
A spokesperson for Stryker told Irish Examiner that efforts are underway to restore systems.
“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.”
Employees are now sharing updates through WhatsApp groups, while staff have been warned not to connect to the network using apps such as Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Teams until systems are restored.
“We know that the situation creates uncertainty. Please know that our teams are actively addressing the issue with security experts and law enforcement,” the statement said.
“Our people and our sites are safe. We are focused on our customers and the patients they serve, while ensuring the continuity of their operations and our own.
“Please stay focused and follow guidance from your leaders while we work to restore systems.”
Stryker said its teams are working to restore systems and operations as quickly as possible. The company has also put business continuity measures in place while the network disruption continues.
