Exfiltrates

Exfiltrates refers to material or data that have been removed from a source, typically without authorization. The term derives from exfiltrate, meaning to move something out of a location or security perimeter. Although the verb exfiltrate is common, exfiltrates as a noun is rare and appears mainly in technical writing to denote exfiltrated data or materials and the acts that produced them.

In cybersecurity, data exfiltration is the unauthorized transfer of information from a system to an external destination. Exfiltrates can be files, database records, or encoded payloads transmitted over networks, removable media, or covert channels. Attackers use methods such as phishing, malware, tunneling, or data obfuscation. Defenders monitor outbound traffic, implement data loss prevention, and investigate anomalies that indicate exfiltration events.

In medical contexts, exfiltrate can describe fluid or tissue material that leaks from a wound or boundary; the exfiltrate is the material that has moved across a barrier. In hydrology or environmental science, exfiltrates describe water that exits the subsurface into soil, rock, or cavities. The term is less common than exudate or effluent but is used in technical descriptions of material movement.

Because exfiltrate is primarily a verb, using exfiltrates as a noun can be ambiguous. When clarity is needed, phrases like exfiltrated data or exfiltrated material are preferred.