War spreads into cyberspace after Iran-linked hackers hit medtech giant Stryker

An Iran-linked hacking group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on U.S. medical device giant Stryker, marking a potential escalation of cyber activity tied to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Stryker confirmed in a Form 8-K filing with the SEC that a cyberattack caused a global disruption to its Microsoft systems.

The Wall Street Journal reported the attack began in the United States before spreading globally, with staff discovering that cellphones and laptops running Microsoft’s Windows operating system had been wiped.

According to local media reports, thousands of workers at the Cork, Ireland facility, the company’s largest outside the United States with about 5,000 employees, were unable to perform their duties due to the cyberattack.

“We are continuing to resolve the disruption impacting our global network resulting from the cyberattack. At this time, there is no indication of malware or ransomware, and we believe the situation is contained to our internal Microsoft environment only,” the company said in a statement.

The group behind the attack said it carried out the operation in retaliation for attacks on Iran over the past two weeks and alleged that more than 200,000 systems, servers and mobile devices were wiped, while 50 terabytes of critical data were extracted. The attackers also defaced the company’s Entra login page, displaying their logo.

Stryker, which manufactures products ranging from artificial joints and surgical instruments to hospital beds and robotic surgery systems, reported more than $25 billion in revenue in 2025 and says its technologies reach over 150 million patients each year worldwide.

An attack on Stryker could be viewed as an indirect strike on U.S. military healthcare infrastructure, given the company’s contracts to supply medical equipment to multiple branches of the U.S. armed forces.

The incident occurred just days after the White House released “President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America,” a policy framework outlining the administration’s priorities for maintaining U.S. leadership in cyberspace and signaling a tougher response to potential foreign cyberattacks on strategic targets.