Understanding the Sophisticated Tactics of Disinformation
The recent disinformation campaigns targeting the Moroccan security apparatus exemplify a highly sophisticated strategy that intricately weaves real data with fabricated elements. The Moroccan security authorities, particularly the Directorate General of National Security and the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance, have vehemently denied the allegations circulated by certain channels claiming that there were massive leaks and cyberattacks compromising their internal databases. A thorough technical verification and examination of these documents have unveiled gross visual errors, blatant linguistic mistakes, and the use of nonexistent ranks, uniforms, and administrative structures within the Kingdom's security services. Furthermore, the presented lists included deceased individuals, retirees, or employees from health insurance and social welfare organizations entirely unrelated to intelligence services, as reported by Assabah in its weekend edition from August 29 and 30.
The Underlying Motives Behind the Disinformation
In an interview with the daily, Irina Tsukerman, an American analyst specializing in national security and information warfare, elucidates that such manipulation adheres to the classic codes of modern influence operations. She emphasizes that Algeria is the primary beneficiary of these fabricated leak operations and falsified images. According to Tsukerman, the criminal leak usually reflects the structure of the stolen data, irrespective of its disorganized nature. In contrast, if real records have been reorganized to serve a specific narrative and supplemented with fake visuals and coherent geopolitical discourse, it indicates a structured operation undertaken after acquiring the data. She raises the fundamental question of whether the goal is merely to sell information or to tarnish Morocco's image.
Moreover, Tsukerman highlights the temporal coincidence of these destabilization campaigns with the diplomatic and security successes achieved by the Kingdom. She observes that the publication operations have repeatedly coincided with Moroccan-Algerian tensions, developments related to Western Sahara, Morocco's initiatives in Africa, and the strengthening of security cooperation with Europe, as well as relations with Israel and strategic partnerships in the fight against terrorism. The recognition of Moroccan expertise by major powers and international organizations like Interpol seems to elicit a denial response from opposing services. The explicit acknowledgment by the United States of Morocco's effective security measures and its capacity to contribute to regional stability prompts certain actors to attempt to undermine this credibility through the dissemination of altered documents, as noted by Assabah.
From a methodological perspective, Tsukerman dissects the operational mode utilized in this case. In the realm of information warfare, the combination of real identification data and falsified documents constitutes a particularly insidious influence technique. When disseminated content blends authentic civil status information of citizens with doctored visuals or fake administrative titles, the intention is to create an illusion of veracity. Merely aligning series of figures or statistical lists to claim the exposure of tens of thousands of secret agents is insufficient; such figures, taken out of context, resemble a speculative construction intended to suggest systemic hacking, leading to the belief that the adversary has succeeded in mapping an entire intelligence apparatus.
When a journalist or citizen examines these elements and verifies that certain names do exist in reality, their vigilance diminishes, and they tend to lend credence to the entire dossier, including the false accusations appended to it. Tsukerman reminds us that to establish the reality of a spy network, concrete evidence regarding the origin of the records must be provided, demonstrating effective extraction from security servers and verifying the exact appropriateness of the assigned functions. In this case, the mere association of civil identities sourced from private databases with false military or police attributions signifies a blatant attempt at manipulation, as stated in Assabah.
This hybrid technique, which involves assembling both truth and falsehood, renders refutation complex for the general public; nevertheless, it remains fragile against rigorous expertise. Tsukerman notes that this blend of true and false makes it difficult to refute the narrative. The entire narrative can collapse when it is proven that the visuals and documents are falsified. However, the hybrid nature of these elements grants them temporary resilience. When the propagators of these leaks associate a real name with a fictitious security title, they leverage accurate functional data to mislead and create the illusion of truthfulness for entirely unfounded claims.
The repercussions of these maneuvers extend beyond mere word warfare and pose real risks to individuals whose data has been misappropriated. Tsukerman warns against the collateral damage induced by such publications. If the thesis of a hacking incident within intelligence services is technically false, the leakage of personal information from insurance companies or social organizations exposes civil servants, police officers, or ordinary citizens to tangible threats. By falsely designating them as secret agents or spies, these disinformation campaigns pave the way for harassment, identity theft, social engineering, and malicious surveillance. Such irresponsible methods endanger individuals and their families based on gross fabrications. Therefore, it is crucial to treat these disclosures for what they are: instrumentalized violations of personal data, rather than security revelations. Ultimately, if real data from insurance or social institutions has been repurposed with counterfeit security insignias, we are confronting a classic disinformation process where the real material is diverted from its truth to fuel a preconceived political narrative.
As reported by fr.le360.ma.
