Following significant cyberattacks linked to a hacking group thought to be linked to Iran, experts are highlighting how securing systems against credential-based hacks is critical. In the beginning of March, Handala Hack, also known as Handala, claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on medical services and devices provider Stryker. Reuters reported that the company experienced disruptions and limited access to systems as a result of the attack; Healthcare Brew reported that 56,000 global employees were encouraged to disable company-issued devices and keep them off of networks. Amy Mushahwar, data privacy, security, safety, and risk management team chair at law firm Lowenstein Sandler, told IT Brew that the Stryker attack “could happen to any critical company in the US.” The attack itself, she added, was unique in that the attackers destroyed data permanently rather than holding it for ransom. ProArch shared that, in some departments at Stryker, up to 95% of devices had been erased before defenders reacted. Attackers also reportedly defaced login screens with Handala’s logo and propaganda. “Iranian nation state actors are normally pretty smash and grab…I think the novelty of the wiper attack here is pretty interesting,” Mushahwar said. “This was a deliberate disabling of an entire set of company end points.” Breaking in.—CN | 
