exploit
n. countablen. a brave or exciting action that someone has done. In the world of computers, it can also mean a piece of software that takes advantage of a mistake in a system to cause trouble.
n. a notable or heroic act; a feat. In a computing context, it refers to a piece of software or a sequence of commands that takes advantage of a bug or vulnerability to cause unintended behaviour.
The book tells stories of his daring exploits at sea.
Security researchers discovered a new exploit that allows hackers to bypass the login screen on older smartphones.
While historical accounts often romanticise the military exploits of the era, modern historians focus more on the logistical failures that eventually led to the empire's collapse.
From Old French esploit (noun), esploitier (verb).
Commonly used in the plural ('exploits') when referring to heroic deeds, but often singular in a technical computing context.