exfiltrate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to covertly remove data from a computer system or network

   The attacker tried to exfiltrate customer records before the intrusion was detected.

2. 2
   verb

   to withdraw people, troops, or agents secretly from a dangerous place

   The team planned to exfiltrate the informant before dawn.

3. 3
   noun

   something that has been covertly removed, especially data or material

   Investigators traced the exfiltrate to an encrypted archive on an external server.

Formed as the opposite of infiltrate: ex- ("out") plus the pattern of infiltrate, literally "to filter or move out." Military and intelligence use came first; cybersecurity later extended it to the covert removal of data from a system.

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