logic bomb
- noun
- /ˈlɒdʒɪk bɑm/
- Specialized
:
bomba lógica
- During the security audit, they discovered a logic bomb designed to activate when users accessed sensitive information.
Examples
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I dropped a logic bomb through the trap door.
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There is a logic bomb in the enhancement programme.
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Mr. Jones testified for over five days about how Mr. Duronio, a disgruntled employee, planted a logic bomb within UBS's network to render critical trading servers unusable.
Blog text (11) -
The hacker planted a logic bomb in the system to trigger data loss on a specific date.
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Investigators found evidence that a logic bomb was embedded in the software update.
How Dangerous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'logic' (program rules) and 'bomb' (an explosive, here used metaphorically) cue a destructive or triggering element within program logic, so a B1 learner who knows both words could infer it's something in software that causes harm. However, the specific sense — a secretly inserted piece of code that activates under certain conditions — is technical and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so prior exposure or domain knowledge is needed.
Etymology
The term logic bomb comes from the image of a bomb that waits for the right logic or condition and then explodes. That's why it now means 'hidden code' that stays quiet until a 'set condition' happens and then runs to cause harm.