DOJ Announces Disruption of “Iranian Cyber Enabled Psychological Operations” Involving Iranian Intelligence

Last week, it was reported that an Iran-linked group claimed responsibility for hacking Stryker, an American medical equipment supply company based in Michigan.

The hack was reported to have compromised employees’ cell phones and rendered them inoperable, “grinding work and communications to a standstill,” as reported by NBC News.

Yesterday, the Justice Department announced “the seizure of four domains as part of an ongoing effort to disrupt hacking and transnational repression schemes conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).

Justice Department Disrupts Iranian Cyber Enabled Psychological Operations

“Terrorist propaganda online can incite real-world violence — thanks to our National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, this network of Iranian-backed sites… pic.twitter.com/hHsp2QlWN4

— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) March 19, 2026

From the press release:

The seized domains – Justicehomeland[.]org, Handala-Hack[.]to, Karmabelow80[.]org, and Handala-Redwanted[.]to – were used by the MOIS in furtherance of attempted psychological operations targeting adversaries of the regime by claiming credit for hacking activity, posting sensitive data stolen during such hacks, and calling for the killing of journalists, regime dissidents, and Israeli persons. For example, the MOIS used the Handala-hack[.]to domain to claim credit for a March 2026 destructive malware attack against a U.S.-based multinational medical technologies firm.

That medical technologies firm is believed to be the Michigan-based Stryker mentioned above.

The DOJ alleges that the “MOIS-controlled domains” published personally identifiable information (PII) of targeted individuals while claiming responsibility for hacks conducted by the Handala team.

For example, on March 11, 2026, the Handala Hack team claimed responsibility for the attack believed to be against Stryker, calling it retaliation for “ongoing cyber assaults against the infrastructure of the Axis of Resistance.”

On March 9, 2026, the Iranian-linked group published the names of approximately 190 individuals “associated with or employed by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and/or Israeli government,” while threatening “that the individuals were being monitored, their residences were known, and that consequences would soon follow.”

The Handala Team also allegedly posted “names and confidential data” of individuals believed to work for the IDF.  “Your iPhone 12 Pro Max holds no security for us; we even know your exact location,” the group posted.  “People of the Axis of Resistance!  See these names and respond to these Zionist pigs yourselves,” the post allegedly continued.

Notably, on March 6, 2026, the hackers claimed they “stole 851 gigabytes of confidential data from members of the Sanzer Hasidic Jewish community.”  That data includes “documents of financial cooperation, witchcraft ceremonies, and secret correspondences with Netanyahu,” according to the DOJ release.

The FBI’s investigation also found that the group’s email, Handala_Team@outlook.com, was allegedly used to send death threats to “Iranian dissidents and journalists living in the United States and abroad.”

The DOJ claims that the group offered “bounties” and “openly called for Mexican cartel ‘partners’ to commit acts of violence against Handala Hack’s targets.”  Specifically, the Handala Hack team declared war on “enemies of Islam in the West” and said they’d given lists of their enemies to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operating in America.

“[Redacted names], you laughed like hyenas during the [redacted] show.  We have hacked and revealed your home addresses…to our partners in the CJNG who are in [redacted states,]” and offered a $250,000 reward to the operative that beheads them.

The Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10 million “for information on any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engages in malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure.”

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