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
As cyberattacks grow in sophistication and IT environments become more complex, traditional access control methods are no longer enough.
—Jagadeesh Kunda, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
In response to the attack, De Niro’s Mullen has been brought back into the White House inner circle and is asked to head up the Zero Day Commission and charged with finding the perpetrators of the devastating cyberattack that has caused chaos and left thousands of fatalities in its wake.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025
American Water Works , the country’s biggest water utility, revealed late last year that it had been impacted by a cyberattack.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
The international response to the cyberattack is being led by French authorities, who have developed the technology to remove the malware from devices.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
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Jagadeesh Kunda, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
In response to the attack, De Niro’s Mullen has been brought back into the White House inner circle and is asked to head up the Zero Day Commission and charged with finding the perpetrators of the devastating cyberattack that has caused chaos and left thousands of fatalities in its wake.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025
American Water Works , the country’s biggest water utility, revealed late last year that it had been impacted by a cyberattack.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
The international response to the cyberattack is being led by French authorities, who have developed the technology to remove the malware from devices.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cyberattack
Dictionary Entries Near cyberattack
Cite this Entry
“Cyberattack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyberattack. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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