cy·ber·at·tack
| \ ˈsī-bər-ə-ˌtak
\
\
plural cyberattacks
Definition of cyberattack
: 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
Other Words from cyberattack
cyberattacker
\
ˈsī-bər-ə-ˌta-kər
\
noun,
plural cyberattackers
\
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
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about cyberattack
Dictionary Entries near cyberattack
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for cyberattack
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Cyberattack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyberattack. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Comments on cyberattack
What made you want to look up cyberattack? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
More Confusing Words—Quiz
-
- The magician
______moved the selected card to the top of the deck.
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share cyberattack
Time Traveler for cyberattack
The first known use of cyberattack was in 1996
See more words from the same year