Meanings
plural zombie computers
- computingA computer connected to the Internet that has been compromised by a hacker by means of a computer virus, computer worm, or Trojan horse program and can be used to perform malicious tasks under the remote direction of the hacker.
The danger is manifested in this version because the hackers are gaining control of as many as thousands of vulnerable zombie computers in order to magnify and direct their full-scale assault against a single victim from all directions.
1999, Brian Fonseca, “"Denial-of-service attacks employ zombie PCs to hit networks"”, in Infoworld Daily NewsSynonyms: zombie host
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA computer connected to the Internet that has been compromised by a hacker by means of a computer virus, computer worm, or Trojan horse program and can be used to perform malicious tasks under the remote direction of the hacker.
Origin
From zombie + computer. First use appears c. 1999. See cite below.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
zombie computer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zombie%20computer
“zombie computer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zombie%20computer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zombie computer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zombie%20computer.
Source: zombie computer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.