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
The volume of cyberattacks on state and local governments is growing louder, and the stakes couldn't be higher for our communities.
—Dara Warn, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Microsoft has released an emergency security update to address a critical vulnerability in its on-premises SharePoint Server software, following a wave of cyberattacks over the weekend.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
The cyberattack was discovered on May 8, according to a data breach notification sent June 4 from Belk to N.C.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 July 2025
Moscow is not alone in waging a shadow war against Western nations, although other powers focus more on cyberattacks: The US arrested a Chinese national Tuesday for allegedly stealing COVID-19 research and mass-hacking email servers on behalf of Beijing.
—semafor.com, 11 July 2025
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Dara Warn, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Microsoft has released an emergency security update to address a critical vulnerability in its on-premises SharePoint Server software, following a wave of cyberattacks over the weekend.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
The cyberattack was discovered on May 8, according to a data breach notification sent June 4 from Belk to N.C.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 July 2025
Moscow is not alone in waging a shadow war against Western nations, although other powers focus more on cyberattacks: The US arrested a Chinese national Tuesday for allegedly stealing COVID-19 research and mass-hacking email servers on behalf of Beijing.
—semafor.com, 11 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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