An Iran-linked hacker group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack of a medical tech company, in what appears
to be the first significant instance of Iran hacking an American company since the start of war between
the countries.
The company, Stryker, produces a range of medical equipment and technology, and is headquartered in Michigan.
Historically, Iran has conducted some of the most infamous “wiper” cyberattacks on national enemies, aiming to simply erase
all data on a computer’s networks. Victims include Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, in 2012, and
the Sands Casino in 2014.
Since the war started, some established hacker groups sympathetic to Iranian leadership have claimed minor attacks, but most
have been relegated to briefly altering the appearance of a website and none have appeared to have had
major impact. Some tech and cybersecurity companies, including Google, and the email cybersecurity company Proofpoint, have told NBC
News that they have largely seen Iran’s hackers conducting espionage related to the war.
But that appears to have changed Wednesday, with what appears to have been a different type of attack
that also deleted information from devices. One Stryker employee, who requested to not be identified because they are
not authorized to speak for the company, said that employee’s work issued phones stopped working, dragging work and
communications with colleagues to a standstill.
