Stryker, Dubai Courts, Dubai Land Department and PSK Wind Technologies: Iran-linked group Handala claims to have breached three major UAE organizations

Iran-Linked Handala Claims Cyberattacks on Three Major UAE Organizations

On April 13, 2026, the Iran-aligned hacking group Handala announced a series of cyberattacks targeting three key UAE institutions: Dubai Courts, Dubai Land Department, and Dubai Roads & Transport Authority. The group claimed to have destroyed 6 petabytes of data and stolen 149 terabytes of sensitive information, framing the breach as retaliation against the UAE’s alleged alignment with Western and Israeli interests.

In a statement posted on its Tor-based website, Handala described the attack as a "preemptive warning" to regional governments, citing the UAE’s perceived betrayal of the "Resistance Axis" a term often associated with Iran-backed factions. While the group’s claims remain unverified, its history of destructive operations lends credibility to the allegations.

Handala, widely believed to be a front for Iran-backed Void Manticore, has a track record of phishing, data theft, extortion, and wiper attacks, often blending cyber operations with psychological warfare. Since the February 2026 escalation of U.S.-Israeli tensions with Iran, the group has intensified its activities, targeting Israeli military servers, intelligence personnel, and defense contractors.

Recent attacks include:

• A breach of PSK Wind Technologies, an Israeli defense and IT firm specializing in command-and-control systems (early April 2026).
• A destructive attack on medical tech giant Stryker, where Handala claimed to have wiped over 200,000 devices across 79 countries and exfiltrated 50TB of corporate data all without deploying traditional malware.
• The alleged hack of FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal Gmail account, with the group releasing purported photos and files.

The FBI has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of Handala’s operatives, underscoring the group’s growing threat to critical infrastructure and national security.

Source: https://securityaffairs.com/190716/hacking/iran-linked-group-handala-claims-to-have-breached-three-major-uae-organizations.html

Stryker cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/stryker

TwelveSec cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/twelvesec

DUBAI COURTS cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dubaicourts

Dubai Land Department cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dubai-land-department

"id": "STRTWEDUBDUB1776084002",
"linkid": "stryker, twelvesec, dubaicourts, dubai-land-department",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "7/2016",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "7",
"explanation": "Attack that could injure or kill people"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Judicial',
                        'location': 'UAE',
                        'name': 'Dubai Courts',
                        'type': 'Government Institution'},
                       {'industry': 'Real Estate',
                        'location': 'UAE',
                        'name': 'Dubai Land Department',
                        'type': 'Government Institution'},
                       {'industry': 'Transportation',
                        'location': 'UAE',
                        'name': 'Dubai Roads & Transport Authority',
                        'type': 'Government Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': ['Phishing', 'Wiper Attack'],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': '149 terabytes',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': 'Sensitive information'},
 'date_detected': '2026-04-13',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2026-04-13',
 'description': 'On April 13, 2026, the Iran-aligned hacking group Handala '
                'announced a series of cyberattacks targeting three key UAE '
                'institutions: Dubai Courts, Dubai Land Department, and Dubai '
                'Roads & Transport Authority. The group claimed to have '
                'destroyed 6 petabytes of data and stolen 149 terabytes of '
                'sensitive information, framing the breach as retaliation '
                'against the UAE’s alleged alignment with Western and Israeli '
                'interests.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': '149 terabytes of sensitive information',
            'operational_impact': 'Destruction of 6 petabytes of data'},
 'investigation_status': 'Unverified',
 'motivation': ['Political Retaliation', 'Psychological Warfare'],
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2026-04-13',
                 'source': 'Handala Tor-based website'},
                {'source': 'FBI Reward Announcement'}],
 'threat_actor': 'Handala (Iran-aligned, believed to be a front for Void '
                 'Manticore)',
 'title': 'Iran-Linked Handala Claims Cyberattacks on Three Major UAE '
          'Organizations',
 'type': ['Data Destruction', 'Data Theft', 'Extortion']}