Cyber offense

Definition
A cyber offense (also called cyber offensive operations) refers to

{{Quote|hostile actions against a computer system or network [that] can take two forms. One form is destructive in nature &mdash; the action is taken to harm the system or network and render it less functional or useful than before the action was taken. An example of such a hostile action is erasure by a computer virus of the hard disk of any computer that it infects. The second form is non-destructive—the action is taken to extract from a system or network information that would otherwise be kept confidential. Actions of this second form are usually clandestine, conducted with the smallest possible interventions that still allow extraction of the information sought. Such an action is exemplified by a computer virus that searches the hard disk of any infected computer and e-mails to the hostile party all files containing a credit card number.