cybersecurity

American  

[sahy-ber-si-kyoor-i-tee] / ˌsaɪ bər sɪˈkyʊər ɪ ti /

Or cyber security

noun

1. precautions taken to guard against crime that involves the internet, especially unauthorized access to computer systems and data connected to the internet.

2. the state of being protected against such crime.

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cybersecurity British  

/ ˌsaɪbəˌsɪˈkjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. computing the state of being safe from electronic crime and the measures taken to achieve this

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Etymology

Origin of cybersecurity

First recorded in 1985–90; cyber- ( def. ) + security ( def. )

Example Sentences

Many cybersecurity professionals believe the AI bug armageddon could play out along similar lines, but successfully patching thousands of vulnerabilities in all kinds of software will take a monumental effort, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Last month, it was caught by Mythos, the latest AI model from Anthropic that has spooked the White House, banking executives and cybersecurity professionals around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

For investors, the framing that applies here is the one used for cybersecurity a decade ago, when the proliferation of connected devices made security spending nondiscretionary.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

The data breach affecting the gaming giant was reported by cybersecurity news outlets on Saturday, after a group of hackers claimed responsibility for the hack.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Wendy Whitmore, of cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks, expects "some sort of catastrophic attack" this year connected to AI agent capabilities.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026