cyberattack

noun

cy·​ber·​at·​tack ˈsī-bər-ə-ˌtak 

plural cyberattacks

: an attempt to gain illegal access to a computer or computer system for the purpose of causing damage or harm

An undermine-first strategy allows the United States government to intrude into adversaries' systems, exploiting this covert access to gather intelligence and occasionally to deliver a destructive cyberattack.

—Joshua A. Kroll

If your data is valuable enough, there is almost nothing you can do to provide total security against an expert adversary. Simply put, the attacker may be smarter than anyone you have defending the network. Cyberattacks are not only impossible to block, they're often difficult to detect; you may not even know you're under attack in the first place.

—Robert W. Lucky

cyberattacker

ˈsī-bər-ə-ˌta-kər 

noun

plural cyberattackers

Cyberattackers constantly evolve their skills and will always find new ways to attack—it's not a question of "if," but of "when."

—Eileen Dignen

Examples of cyberattack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Los Angeles Unified is investigating claims that a user on the dark web is offering purported identifiable data about students and teachers, information that cyber experts say may have been obtained in a 2022 cyberattack. —Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2024

In April this year, a cyberattack paralyzed the group’s Italian operation. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Europe, 5 June 2024

Unfortunately, data breaches and cyberattacks in the US have been on the rise. —Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 4 June 2024

Here are five suggestions for government employees to help avoid a cyberattack, from the National Cybersecurity Center. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above