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

French national-security officials are seeking to build resiliency against that threat—including against hybrid warfare of sabotage, cyberattack, and assassination—as well as against Islamist terrorism, which has struck their country repeatedly. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

Last week, the UAE’s financial sector was targeted by a wave of sophisticated cyberattacks. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026

This is the first cyberattack a machine ran from start to finish on its own. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

How to protect your data against hackers Lemonade is hardly alone in falling prey to cyberattacks. — Brian Sloan, CNBC, 3 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