An external trigger in cybersecurity refers to any signal or event originating outside a system that initiates a specific action or process within that system. This could include physical signals, such as a hardware pulse to start data acquisition, or digital signals, such as a network packet prompting a security response. External triggers are often used to synchronize actions across devices, such as activating a camera’s exposure or flash at a precise moment in response to an external event. In cybersecurity, properly managing external triggers is crucial to prevent unauthorized access or unintended operations, as attackers may attempt to exploit these triggers to compromise systems.