exfiltrate

verb

ex·​fil·​trate eks-ˈfil-ˌtrāt 

ˈeks-(ˌ)fil-

exfiltrated; exfiltrating

transitive verb

1

: to remove (someone) furtively from a hostile area

Kublinski avoided detection. He was exfiltrated from Poland, with his family, only after being compromised by a leak from the U.S. government.

—Radek Sikorski

2

: to steal (sensitive data) from a computer (as with a flash drive)

intransitive verb

: to escape from a hostile area

exfiltration

ˌeks-(ˌ)fil-ˈtrā-shən 

noun

Examples of exfiltrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier this week, researchers outlined an attack that used a secret input provided by Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise to cause the AI assistant to exfiltrate a password present in the user’s inbox. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026

In June 2025, a zero-click prompt injection in Microsoft 365 Copilot allowed a single attacker to exfiltrate data from OneDrive and Teams. — Israel Duanis, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Officials also fear that Chinese models could contain hidden security backdoors that could be used to essentially exfiltrate information from unsuspecting users. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 29 July 2026

This is a bot that, if unleashed, might be able to hack into banks, exfiltrate state secrets, and fry crucial infrastructure. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from exfiltration, from ex- entry 1 + (in)filtration

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for exfiltrate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate