Stryker Cyber Attack Raises Concerns for State and Local Governments

State, local, tribal and territory (SLTT) governments continue to raise questions about what effects the war in Iran could have on U.S. cybersecurity, and on Thursday discussed takeaways from the March 11 cyber attack on Stryker.

The attack, confirmed as a global disruption, to Stryker’s Microsoft environment and claimed by Iran-linked Handala, was a touchpoint for those on a Thursday call with the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. Cybersecurity advisers have been taking the lead on membership calls to address concerns stemming from the Iran war. MS-ISAC analysts said afterward that the Stryker attack was of concern for various reasons. Iranian and Iran-linked hackers often attack the health-care sector, in which SLTTs have ownership. Those hackers also target public schools and municipally owned critical infrastructure.