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

Federal prosecutors said Bolton sent the materials to two relatives — reportedly his wife and daughter — who were not authorized to view them and later failed to alert the FBI that his personal email account had been compromised in a 2021 cyberattack allegedly carried out by Iran. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025

Data breaches due to cyberattacks expose patients’ sensitive personal, financial and medical data, putting them at risk for identity theft and fraud. —Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025

The breaches come as the air travel industry has been dealing with an onslaught of cyberattacks that have caused disruptions for customers and ground some of the world’s largest airports to a halt. —Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025

There are risks with all forms of custody such as cyberattacks that lead to theft of assets. —Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025

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