Definitions
Cyberexploitation (CyE) is
| “ | the use of cyber-offensive actions — possibly over an extended period of time — to support the goals and missions of the party conducting the exploitation, usually for the purpose of obtaining information resident on or transiting through an adversary's computer systems or networks. | ” |
| “ | actions combine computer network exploitation (CNE) with enabling capabilities (such as, electronic warfare support (ES), signal intelligence (SIGINT), and others) for intelligence collection and other efforts.[1] | ” |
Overview
Cyberexploitation is an intelligence-gathering activity rather than a destructive activity. Cyberexploitations do not seek to disturb the normal functioning of a computer system or network from the user’s point of view — indeed, the best cyberexploitation is one that such a user never notices.
Although much of the technology underlying cyberexploitation is similar to that of cyberattack, cyberattack and cyberexploitation are conducted for entirely different purposes.