datacorruption

noun

UK /ˈdeɪtə kəˈrʌpʃən/

US /ˈdeɪtə kəˈrʌpʃən/

When the information stored in a computer gets messed up and stops being correct.

A power cut caused data corruption, so the photos on the laptop would not open.

SYNONYMS

data damage file damage information corruption data error record corruption

RELATED WORDS

data loss malware backup hard drive glitch

OTHER MEANINGS

2. The act of deliberately changing data so it cannot be trusted.

The hacker was charged with data corruption after altering the company's records.

3. A mistake in a program that spoils the information it handles.

A bug in the app led to data corruption in the saved scores.

4. The state of digital information becoming unreadable or unusable.

Engineers worked all night to recover the files from data corruption.