cyberattack

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)An 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.”

   “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.”

   “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.”

verb

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.”