cyberattack

C3Y4B3E1R1A1T1T1A1C3K5
/ˈsaɪ.bə.ɹəˌtæk/

noun

An attack or intrusion by means of a computer network such as the Internet, often for the purpose of spying.

Opposite
Scrabble 24

Meanings

nouncyberattack (countable and uncountable, plural cyberattacks)

plural cyberattacks · alternative cyber attack · alternative cyber-attack

  1. countableuncountableAn attack or intrusion by means of a computer network such as the Internet, often for the purpose of spying.

    He also points out that if the US does come under cyberattack, we may be powerless to stop the attack.

    1996 July 1, Stephen Pizzo, “Information Superhighway Under Assault”, in Santa Rosa Press-Democrat
    2 more examples

    In the months before Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's arrival in Beijing on Monday, the Obama administration quietly held an extraordinary briefing for the Chinese military leadership on a subject officials have rarely discussed in public: The Pentagon's emerging doctrine for defending against cyberattacks against the United States – and for using its cybertechnology against adversaries, including the Chinese.

    2014 April 6, David E. Sanger, “U.S. tries candor to assure China on cyberattacks”, in The New York Times

    In recent months, cyberattacks have also crippled police departments in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, as well as hospitals treating coronavirus patients in intrusions that involved criminal groups holding data hostage and seeking payments to unlock the data.

    2021 June 2, Christina Goldbaum, William K. Rashbaum, “The M.T.A. Is Breached by Hackers as Cyberattacks Surge”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
verbcyberattack (third-person singular simple present cyberattacks, present participle cyberattacking, simple past and past participle cyberattacked)

present singular third person cyberattacks · participle present cyberattacking · participle past cyberattacked · past cyberattacked · alternative cyber attack · alternative cyber-attack

  1. To launch a cyberattack.

    A study by security company Riptech found that in the six months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, energy companies were cyberattacked at twice the rate of other industries surveyed.

    2003 August 19, Kevin Maney, Michelle Kessler, “Blackout spurs cyberattack worry”, in USA Today

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekκυβερνάω (kubernáō)
  2. Ancient Greekκυβερνητικός (kubernētikós)
  3. Englishcyberneticclip.
  4. Englishcyber-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  6. Proto-Italic*ad
  7. Proto-Italic*ad-
  8. Latinad-
  9. Italiana-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  11. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
  12. Proto-Indo-European*d(w)is-
  13. Proto-Italic*dis-
  14. Latindis-
  15. Old Frenchdes-
  16. Old Frenchatachier
  17. Old Frenchdestachier
  18. Middle Frenchdestacher
  19. Italiandistaccare
  20. Italianstaccare
  21. Italianattaccare
  22. Frenchattaquerdeverb.
  23. Frenchattaque
  24. Englishattack
  25. Englishcyberattack

From cyber- + attack.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Basque zibereraso
  • zibererasoattack over a computer network
Catalan ciberatac
  • ciberatacattack over a computer network
Chinese Cantonese 網絡攻擊 /网络攻击
  • 網絡攻擊 /网络攻击 (mong⁵ lok³ gung¹ gik¹)attack over a computer network
Chinese Mandarin 網絡攻擊 /网络攻击, 賽博攻擊 /赛博攻击
  • 網絡攻擊 /网络攻击 (wǎngluò gōngjī)attack over a computer network
  • 賽博攻擊 /赛博攻击 (sàibó gōngjī)attack over a computer network
Czech kyberútok
  • kyberútokattack over a computer network
Dutch cyberaanval
  • cyberaanvalattack over a computer network
Finnish kyberhyökkäys, suorittaa kyberhyökkäys
  • kyberhyökkäysattack over a computer network
  • suorittaa kyberhyökkäysto launch a cyberattack
French cyberattaque
  • cyberattaqueattack over a computer network
German Cyberattacke, Cyberangriff
  • Cyberattackeattack over a computer network
  • Cyberangriffattack over a computer network
Greek κυβερνοεπίθεση
  • κυβερνοεπίθεση (kyvernoepíthesi)attack over a computer network
Hindi साइबर अटैक, साइबर हमला
  • साइबर अटैक (sāibar aṭaik)attack over a computer network
  • साइबर हमला (sāibar hamlā)attack over a computer network
  • साइबर आक्रमण (sāibar ākramaṇ)attack over a computer network
Hungarian kibertámadás
  • kibertámadásattack over a computer network
Indonesian serangan siber
  • serangan siberattack over a computer network
Irish cibirionsaí
  • cibirionsaíattack over a computer network
Italian cyberattacco
  • cyberattaccoattack over a computer network
Japanese サイバー攻撃
  • サイバー攻撃 (saibā kōgeki)attack over a computer network
Korean 사이버 공격
  • 사이버 공격 (saibeo gonggyeok)attack over a computer network
Polish cyberatak
  • cyberatakattack over a computer network
Portuguese ciberataque, ataque cibernético
  • ciberataqueattack over a computer network
  • ataque cibernéticoattack over a computer network
Romanian atac cibernetic
  • atac ciberneticattack over a computer network
Russian кѝберата́ка, кѝбернападе́ние
  • кѝберата́ка (kìberatáka)attack over a computer network
  • кѝбернападе́ние (kìbernapadénije)attack over a computer network
Spanish ciberataque, ciberatacar
  • ciberataqueattack over a computer network
  • ciberatacarto launch a cyberattack
Swahili shambulio la kimtandao, shambulizi la kimtandao
  • shambulio la kimtandaoattack over a computer network
  • shambulizi la kimtandaoattack over a computer network
Swedish cyberattack
  • cyberattackattack over a computer network
Thai การโจมตีทางไซเบอร์
  • การโจมตีทางไซเบอร์attack over a computer network
Turkish siber saldırı
  • siber saldırıattack over a computer network
Ukrainian кіберата́ка
  • кіберата́ка (kiberatáka)attack over a computer network
Cite this entry
APA

cyberattack. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cyberattack

MLA

“cyberattack.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cyberattack. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cyberattack,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cyberattack.

Source: cyberattack on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.