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

Educating employees—especially those in finance roles—about the risks of fraudulent invoices and how to verify payment requests would be wise for organizations to prioritize in light of novel cyberattacks like this. —Lars Daniel, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Scheuer’s cyberattacks cost Disney at least $150,000, the complaint alleges. —John Towfighi, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024

The former president’s campaign has compared the Chinese hack to Iran’s cyberattack against Trump earlier this year. —Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Oct. 2024

Snapchat gotcha:How the Feds monitor social media and other communications And the U.S. does certainly seem to be engaged in its own cyberattacks. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above