Wikipedia:Avoid cyber

A sign in multiple languages pointing at "cyber espace" (?)

"Cyber" is a generic term that is frequently used by policy makers such as managers and politicians. It is rarely used by engineers, because the term is so broad it doesn't mean anything.

Use specific terms

Instead of terms like "cyber attack", use specific terminology such as "ransomware attack", "phishing" or "data breach". Avoid using terms like "cyber war" when the acts in case aren't actually acts of war by a nation state.

If reliable sources use cyber to describe an event, try to find better sources that use more specific terms.

Analysis

William Gibson, the author that coined the term cyberspace said:

"All I knew about the word "cyberspace" when I coined it, was that it seemed like an effective buzzword. It seemed evocative and essentially meaningless. It was suggestive of something, but had no real semantic meaning, even for me, as I saw it emerge on the page."

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia for the general public and should use terminology that the average reader is likely familiar with. But Wikipedia should also educate their readers. So the use of cyber should be limited to things like page titles which are the terms that people use in their favorite search engine, but you should avoid it in prose.

If you must include "cyber"

Write "cyber" as an unspaced prefix with e.g. "attack" or "security", and never as a standalone noun or adjective.