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
Joshua A. KrollIf 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
Robert W. Lucky
cyberattacker
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
Eileen Dignen
Examples of cyberattack in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Remove your personal data from people-search sites: Even if hackers don't directly target you through the Secure Boot flaw, many cyberattacks begin by gathering personal information that's easily found online.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
In the story, a wave of cyberattacks collapses infrastructure, sparks global conflict and pushes civilization to the edge.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
In Zero Day, De Niro’s George Mullen is an old-school politician who, acting on sensibilities developed during a much different time in American history, expects the American people to willingly surrender some of their civil liberties while his commission investigates the nationwide cyberattack.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 July 2025
Whether a hurricane, a trans-Pacific cable cut, or cyberattack, purpose crystalized.
—Anne Chow, Fortune, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cyberattack
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
In the story, a wave of cyberattacks collapses infrastructure, sparks global conflict and pushes civilization to the edge.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
In Zero Day, De Niro’s George Mullen is an old-school politician who, acting on sensibilities developed during a much different time in American history, expects the American people to willingly surrender some of their civil liberties while his commission investigates the nationwide cyberattack.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 July 2025
Whether a hurricane, a trans-Pacific cable cut, or cyberattack, purpose crystalized.
—Anne Chow, Fortune, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cyberattack
Cite this Entry
“Cyberattack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyberattack. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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