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Glite Dictionary
cybercriminal

cybercriminal

1 5.2
A person who uses computers or the internet to do illegal things
  • noun
  • /ˈsaɪbərˌkrɪmɪnəl/
  • Texting
translation icon : cibercriminal
  • The growing threat of a cybercriminal activity has led many companies to invest heavily in cybersecurity measures.

Examples

  • Authorities are at a loss, as no one knows how this happened, but we do have confirmation that a notorious cybercriminal organization has claimed responsibility.

    Hacker (2016)

  • For example, in collaboration with its law enforcement partners, the Secret Service has dismantled some of the largest cybercriminal organizations in recent years through the agency's 31 Electronic Crimes Task Forces (ECTFs), including two international task forces.

    Blog text (13)

  • A cybercriminal can easily steal sensitive data by breaking into unsecured networks.

  • Law enforcement agencies are working together to apprehend a notorious cybercriminal responsible for multiple data breaches.

How Dangerous

cyber-terrorist
  • NSFW
2 8.4
cybercriminal
  • Texting
1 5.2
criminal
∞ 2.1
wrongdoer
8 4.3

Surface Forms

cybercriminal singular
cybercriminals plural

Morphology

cybercriminal = criminal (transparent) = cyber + criminal + cyber

The meaning is a direct combination of the prefix 'cyber' (relating to computers/networks) and 'criminal', so the word straightforwardly means a criminal who operates via computers or the internet.

Etymology

The word cybercriminal comes from two parts: cyber- and criminal. The part cyber- comes from a Greek word meaning 'to steer' or 'control' and now points to 'computers' or the 'internet', as in cyberspace, and criminal means 'someone who breaks the law', so a cybercriminal is a person who 'breaks the law' using 'computers' or the internet.