exfiltrate

verb

ex·fil·trate eks-ˈfil-ˌtrāt

ˈeks-(ˌ)fil-

exfiltrated; exfiltrating

transitive verb

: to remove (someone) furtively from a hostile area

Kublinski avoided detection. He was exfiltrated from Poland, with his family, only after being compromised by a leak from the U.S. government.—

Radek Sikorski

: to steal (sensitive data) from a computer (as with a flash drive)

intransitive verb

: to escape from a hostile area

exfiltration

ˌeks-(ˌ)fil-ˈtrā-shən

noun

Examples of exfiltrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Attackers exfiltrated data between April 14 and April 25. —

Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 12 July 2024 Several tools have appeared in recent days, promising to exfiltrate Recall data. —

Tom Warren, The Verge, 7 June 2024 Before encrypting the victim’s data and posting a ransom note, the attacker will now first exfiltrate sensitive data over a period of time. —

Mike Lefebvre, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 Cybercriminals and nation-states may seize this opportunity to exfiltrate valuable corporate information, intellectual property or customer data. —

Denis Mandich, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for exfiltrate

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exfiltrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from exfiltration, from ex- entry 1 + (in)filtration

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of exfiltrate was in 1947

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Exfiltrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exfiltrate. Accessed 16 Sep. 2024.

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