A statutory definition is the exact legal wording a legislature uses to fix the meaning of a term inside a law. In cyber security, that wording matters because it determines what systems, data, or actors are covered by a rule, a duty, or a prohibition. A term may have a broader everyday meaning, but the statutory definition is the one regulators, courts, and compliance teams must follow.
For defenders, this affects risk assessments, reporting obligations, audit requirements, and procurement decisions. If a law defines “AI system,” “personal data,” or “critical infrastructure” narrowly, some tools may fall outside the rule even if they look similar technically. Attackers can exploit these gaps by targeting components that are poorly covered by law or policy. Security teams therefore map legal definitions to real assets, verify scope against system inventories, and update controls when definitions change. In practice, statutory definitions turn legal language into an operational boundary for cyber defense.