Payment Giant Verifone Disputes Iranian Hacking Group Hit

Tehran-Linked Handala Hackers Disrupt Medtech Giant Stryker, Claim Verifone Breach Mathew J. Schwartz (euroinfosec) • March 12, 2026

A self-proclaimed hacktivist group widely suspected of being a front for Iranian intelligence claimed Wednesday to have hacked New York City-based payment device maker Verifone, saying it disrupted the organization's Israeli office and stole data.

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Verifone disputed the assertion. "Verifone has found no evidence of any incident related to this claim and has no service disruption to our clients," it said in a statement.

The hacking claim comes from Handala, a group that cybersecurity experts say appears to be run by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, in part to execute pro-Tehran psychological operations.

"This sophisticated operation has caused widespread disruption in payment systems and terminals, and all related transaction and financial data have been extracted," Handala claimed in ...