Phrase guide

watering hole attack

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A computer attack strategy, in which the victim is a particular group (organization, industry, or region), and the attacker guesses or observes which websites the group often uses and infects one or more of them with malware.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

The name is derived from predators in the natural world, who wait for an opportunity to attack their prey near watering holes.