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

The cyberattack compromised the medical records of around a hundred million patients, and profoundly disrupted the flow of data and payment. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2024

What in the world is a 'scam-yourself' cyberattack? —Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024

Three of those titles already have a home: Zero Day, starring Robert De Niro as a former president charged with responding to a crippling cyberattack, is a Netflix series co-created and executive produced by Oppenheim, Eric Newman and New York Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt. —Erik Hayden, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Dec. 2024

Well, the rising medical costs and an impact on profitability from a cyberattack earlier this year has weighed on the company’s bottom-line growth this year. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above