What does cyberterrorism mean?
Cyberterrorism is the deliberate use of computer networks and internet-based attacks to intimidate, coerce, or harm people, governments, or infrastructure in pursuit of political or ideological goals. Unlike ordinary cybercrime, which is usually driven by profit, or cyberwarfare, which is conducted by states, cyberterrorism is defined by its terroristic intent: spreading fear and disruption among civilian populations. Typical feared scenarios include attacks on power grids, water supplies, hospitals, or transportation systems. The word combines 'cyber', from 'cybernetics' and ultimately the Greek 'kybernetes' (steersman), with 'terrorism', and emerged in the late twentieth century as dependence on networked technology grew. Although it features prominently in security policy and journalism, the term is contested — experts note that genuinely destructive attacks meeting a strict definition of terrorism have been rare, and many incidents so labeled are better described as hacktivism or criminal hacking. Used carefully, the word captures one of modern security's most debated threats.
nounThe use of computer networks and the internet, especially attacks on information systems, to intimidate, coerce, or cause harm in pursuit of political or ideological goals.
- Politically or ideologically motivated attacks on computer systems and networks intended to intimidate, coerce, or inflict harm on governments, infrastructure, or populations.
- More broadly (and sometimes controversially), any large-scale malicious use of the internet to spread fear or disrupt society, including some attacks that experts would classify as ordinary cybercrime.
"Security agencies warned that a coordinated act of cyberterrorism could cripple a nation's power grid within minutes."
"The government unveiled a new task force dedicated to preventing cyberterrorism against critical national infrastructure."
"In his keynote address, the professor argued that journalists often conflate routine hacking with genuine cyberterrorism, inflating public fears."
Rarely pluralized; the singular is used even when discussing multiple incidents, though the plural appears occasionally in academic writing.
"The report catalogued several distinct cyberterrorisms across different regions over the past decade."
Despite decades of alarming headlines, most experts agree that truly lethal cyberterrorism has never actually happened — the word describes a threat that looms far larger than its confirmed track record.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cyberterrorism
Cyberterrorism is a compound of 'cyber', derived from 'cybernetics', a term coined by Norbert Wiener in 1948 from Greek 'kybernetes' meaning 'steersman' or 'governor', and 'terrorism', from the French 'terrorisme' rooted in the Latin 'terror' meaning great fear. The combined word arose in English during the 1980s and 1990s, as analysts began speculating about politically motivated attacks on computer networks. It shares its first element with cognates such as cyberspace, cybercrime, and cybersecurity, all of which use 'cyber-' to denote the domain of computers and networks.
How cyberterrorism is actually used
Cyberterrorism is a formal term used chiefly in security policy, journalism, and academic contexts. Its meaning is contested: because it implies terrorist intent, many incidents labeled as cyberterrorism by media outlets are reclassified by specialists as cybercrime or hacktivism. The term carries an alarmist connotation and should be used with care when precision about motive matters.
Easily confused with cyberterrorism
Cybercrime covers any criminal activity committed via computers, often for financial gain, whereas cyberterrorism specifically involves politically or ideologically motivated attacks intended to intimidate or coerce.
Cyberwarfare refers to state-sponsored digital attacks between nations, while cyberterrorism is typically carried out by non-state actors pursuing ideological aims.