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
Authorities are investigating whether a freak event, a cyberattack or some other cause is to blame, while airports and train stations are catching up with a huge backlog.
—Robert Picheta, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center on Monday dismissed speculation about foul play, saying that there was no sign that the outage resulted from a cyberattack.
—Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The cause of the blackout is unknown, but officials are now investigating to see if a cyberattack against Spain's critical infrastructures could be the culprit of the power outage, Spain's High Court said on Tuesday.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack.
—Barry Hatton, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cyberattack
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Robert Picheta, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center on Monday dismissed speculation about foul play, saying that there was no sign that the outage resulted from a cyberattack.
—Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
The cause of the blackout is unknown, but officials are now investigating to see if a cyberattack against Spain's critical infrastructures could be the culprit of the power outage, Spain's High Court said on Tuesday.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack.
—Barry Hatton, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 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 3 May. 2025.
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