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

Stryker's statement said the cyberattack hit its Microsoft programs. —Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026

Going after easy targets The strikes on Iran’s military as well as internet outages may have limited Iran’s cyberattacks in the short term. —David Klepper, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026

The strikes on Iran's military as well as internet outages may have limited Iran's cyberattacks in the short term. —ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026

Operational superiority and proactive defense Combining Thales’ expertise in cybersecurity and advanced artificial intelligence through cortAIx, Thales AI accelerator, SkyDefender enables operational superiority and proactive defense against cyberattacks and evolving threats. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cyberattack

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