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attack surface

American  
[uh-tak sur-fis] / əˈtæk ˌsɜr fɪs /

noun

attack surfaces plural
  1. Digital Technology. all vulnerabilities in a software or computer system that could be attacked.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“The attack surface is exploding. Every ungoverned asset and identity is multiplying the blast radius of AI exponentially,” McDermott told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch Jul. 22, 2026

That also turns them into a new attack surface, with emerging classes of exploits such as prompt injection.

From Barron's Jun. 2, 2026

“As rapid AI adoption expands the attack surface for organizations, real-time visibility into vulnerabilities and actionable insights for what to fix first are critical to minimize risk and strengthen security posture,” ServiceNow said.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 23, 2025

The P-8 Poseidon is designed to hunt down and attack surface ships and submarines, and conduct intelligence-gathering missions.

From Washington Times Nov. 21, 2023

Over the long term, though, they would seem to provide a motivated adversary with a broad attack surface.

From The Verge Aug. 27, 2021

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