The U.S. Justice Department has accused Iran's government of operating the hacktivist group Handala, which was responsible for a recent cyberattack on U.S.-based medical technology giant Stryker.

In a press release, the department stated that the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) is behind Handala. The group has taken credit for the March 11 attack, during which hackers remotely wiped tens of thousands of employee devices, allegedly in retaliation for a U.S. air strike on an Iranian school.

Handala's activities have extended beyond Stryker, with the group also being linked to attacks against the Albanian government and Israeli military and defense contractors. The FBI has seized several websites used by Handala and another hacktivist persona called Justice Homeland or Homeland Justice.

A spokesperson for Sublime Security noted that while Handala may claim responsibility for various cyberattacks, it's possible that different teams are conducting the actual hacking operations. Nonetheless, the U.S. government is determined to dismantle the group, with FBI Director Kash Patel stating they have taken down 'four of their operation’s pillars' and are not finished.

Handala has responded to the accusations by calling U.S. actions a 'desperate attempt' to silence its voice. Despite these claims, cybersecurity researcher Keith O’Neill from DomainTools believes Handala is likely using new domains that have yet to be seized.