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

Experts warn that models proficient in coding can rapidly chain vulnerabilities, leading to an increase in zero-day threats and making sophisticated cyberattacks more accessible, even to nation-state actors. — Tim Keary, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

OpenAI’s report seemed to augur the very sort of disaster that IT professionals have been warning about since last year, when Anthropic’s top models began demonstrating the ability to orchestrate and automate severe cyberattacks. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026

According to the letter, the cyberattack affected customers in nine states plus Washington DC. — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 22 July 2026

Fidelity and its subsidiary, Fidelity Brokerage Services agreed to the deal on May 13, closing the door on a lawsuit alleging the investment giant failed to both adequately prevent a cyberattack and alert members to its existence after the fact. — Brian Sloan,dan Avery, CNBC, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cyberattack

• ammoniac
• biofeedback
• counterattack
• demoniac
• elegiac
• noncardiac
• paranoiac
• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback