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.

---

cybersecurity British  

/ ˌsaɪbəˌsɪˈkjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of cybersecurity

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

Example Sentences

“There is nothing to patch in the guardrails,” said Katie Moussouris, chief executive of the cybersecurity company Luta Security, who reviewed Amazon’s report.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

The European Union’s executive arm said that it’s assessing Anthropic’s statement and is continuing to talk to allies about the potential risks and cybersecurity concerns related to powerful new AI models.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026

Friday’s halt will pause those efforts and could have far-reaching implications on cybersecurity depending on how long it lasts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

Beyond a race for economic dominance, the real urgency is the impending threat to cybersecurity, as mature quantum systems will likely undermine the encryption that protects much of the world’s data today.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

Anthropic delayed the release of its most advanced “Mythos” models to give companies and the government to protect themselves from cybersecurity vulnerabilities the model could find.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026