Morocco's Cyber Threat Landscape in 2025
According to a recent report by Mastercard, Morocco has garnered attention for its alarming rate of cyber threats, ranking third in Africa for the year 2025. The report reveals that Morocco faced nearly 7,300 cyber incidents, which constitutes approximately 10.6% of the total 69,236 recorded events across the continent. This translates to a staggering cyber event occurring roughly every eight minutes within the country. Notably, the peak month for cyber threats was April, where incidents surged to 1,882.
In the larger context of Africa, Nigeria and South Africa lead the pack with 24.4% and 12.6% of the total cyber threats, respectively. Following Morocco, Egypt and Kenya recorded 8.8% and 7.1% of cyber incidents. Collectively, these five nations account for a significant 54.7% of the cyber activity reported across the continent, highlighting a concentrated threat landscape that demands urgent attention.
Understanding the Nature of Cyber Threats
The report underscores the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals targeting institutions that manage sensitive data. For instance, in April 2025, Morocco's social security fund (CNSS) reported a data breach that compromised the personal information of nearly two million individuals and approximately 500,000 affiliated companies. Furthermore, in June 2025, a hacking group known as Jabaroot claimed responsibility for an attack on the land registry agency (ANCFCC), alleging that they extracted four terabytes of data from its systems.
The report details that various cyber threats, including malware, ransomware, and spear-phishing, contribute to a significant percentage of cyber incidents, accounting for 57.6% of the events observed. The professionalization of cybercrime is apparent, with 41.5% of the attacks attributed to blackhat hackers and 20% to organized criminal groups, while state-sponsored actors and politically motivated individuals accounted for 9.7% and 13.9% of the incidents, respectively. Over the last decade, the frequency of attacks has surged, with a staggering increase of 421.4% from 2016 to 2025, compared to a global increase of 307.3%. Interpol estimates that Africa alone faces cybercrime losses amounting to $484 million in 2025, a significant rise from $192 million reported previously.
Another critical aspect highlighted in the report is the shortage of cybersecurity professionals across the continent, which exceeds 200,000. Morocco is recognized for its established cybersecurity framework, which encompasses the Directorate General for Information Systems Security (DGSSI) formed in 2011, along with supportive regulations such as data-protection law 09-08 and cybersecurity law 05-20. However, it is crucial to note that the mere number of cyber incidents does not accurately reflect the effectiveness of the country's defensive measures.
As reported by northafricapost.com.
