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
In March, Canada and the five Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden — agreed to deepen their cooperation in military procurement and ramp up defense production to deal with security threats, including cyberattacks.
—Reuters, NBC news, 16 May 2026
The Port of Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport endured a cyberattack in August 2024 initiated by a ransomware group that caused some IT system outages disrupting Wi-Fi, facility websites, flight display screens and check-in kiosks.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Schumer wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this month warning that new AI systems could dramatically accelerate cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, while criticizing the agency for its response thus far.
—Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
This comes at the heels of a massive cyberattack against learning management system Canvas last week.
—Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
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Reuters, NBC news, 16 May 2026
The Port of Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport endured a cyberattack in August 2024 initiated by a ransomware group that caused some IT system outages disrupting Wi-Fi, facility websites, flight display screens and check-in kiosks.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Schumer wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this month warning that new AI systems could dramatically accelerate cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, while criticizing the agency for its response thus far.
—Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 15 May 2026
This comes at the heels of a massive cyberattack against learning management system Canvas last week.
—Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cyberattack
Cite this Entry
“Cyberattack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyberattack. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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