ByAlexander S. Gillis,Technical Writer and EditorMary K. Pratt What is a cyber attack?A cyber attack is any malicious attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer, computing system or computer network with the intent to cause damage. Cyber attacks aim to disable, disrupt, destroy or control computer systems or to alter, block, delete, manipulate or steal the data held within these systems.Any individual or group can launch a cyber attack from anywhere using one or more attack strategies.Cybercriminals who carry out cyber attacks are often referred to as bad actors, threat actors and hackers. They include individuals who act alone, drawing on their computer skills to design and execute malicious attacks, as well as criminal syndicates. These groups work with other threat actors to find weaknesses or vulnerabilities in the computer systems that they can exploit for gain.Government-sponsored groups of computer experts also launch cyber attacks. They're identified as nation-state atta...
