Kaspersky: Morocco Ranks High Among Top Targets for Cyberattacks in Africa
Doha – Cybersecurity giant Kaspersky has revealed Morocco ranks among Africa's most frequently targeted countries for digital attacks. The findings, presented at GITEX Africa 2025 — which concluded yesterday in Marrakech — draw attention a surge in threats across the continent.
The report, based on anonymized data from Kaspersky Security Network, places Morocco third among African countries facing web-based threats, with 12.6 million attack attempts documented in 2024.
Kenya tops the list with nearly 20 million incidents, while South Africa follows with approximately 17 million.
Web threats targeting African businesses jumped 1.2% compared to 2023, with over 131.5 million total threats detected regionwide this year.
On-device threats have climbed 4% in African organizations since last year. Morocco features prominently among countries experiencing this increase, alongside Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia.
Data theft threats have spiked dramatically across the continent. Spyware attacks on African businesses surged 14% between 2023 and 2024, while password stealer detections soared by 26%.
Kenya, Morocco, and South Africa recorded the highest number of password-stealing attempts, followed by Tanzania, Namibia, Uganda, and Senegal.
'Africa's rapid digital expansion has brought significant opportunities, but it has also exposed the continent to a growing array of cyberthreats,' warns Maher Yamout, Lead Cybersecurity Researcher with Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team.
Yamout pointed to hybrid work arrangements and rushed digitization as key vulnerabilities in the business sector. 'The continuing shift toward hybrid work models and the rush to digitize operations — often outpacing cybersecurity investments — may leave African businesses exposed to advanced persistent threats,' he explained.
Experts warn of systemic risks
The report emerges amid Morocco's most serious cybersecurity crisis in years. The National Social Security Fund (CNSS) recently suffered a devastating breach that exposed the salary information of approximately 2 million individuals across 500,000 companies.
The Algerian hacking group 'JabaRoot DZ' claimed responsibility for the attack.
The breach triggered an unprecedented security lockdown across government digital infrastructure. Multiple ministries and public administrations shut down their online platforms as a preventive measure.
The direct housing assistance platform closed first, followed by websites for the Ministry of Education, General Secretariat of Government, and the Mediator Institution. Morocco's tax department also suspended its digital services.
Morocco's Center for Monitoring, Detection and Response to Computer Attacks identified the source as a critical security flaw in the WordPress 'SureTriggers' module, widely used by institutional websites.
This vulnerability allows hackers to bypass security protocols and access sensitive data. The danger lies in its ability to create automatic interconnections with hundreds of third-party applications like Google, Facebook, Slack, and Gmail, giving cybercriminals access to sophisticated chain attacks.
The CNSS incident has sparked intense debate about cybersecurity governance in Morocco. Security experts argue the breach likely resulted from both human error and technical vulnerabilities.
Many government agencies still use outdated operating systems from 2011, which no longer receive security updates and leave networks highly vulnerable to attack.
The Maghreb country has also experienced a wave of retaliatory attacks, including distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) campaigns.
Most recently, the Algerian group DDOS54 launched what they described as a 'major campaign' against Moroccan government systems, affecting several ministerial websites including the Agriculture Ministry portal and the national tax portal.
Security experts recommend government institutions implement regular penetration testing, with at least 50 tests performed every six months.
They also advocate establishing a national cybersecurity center to work alongside the existing General Directorate of Information Systems Security (DGSSI) to better coordinate Morocco's digital defenses.
Despite these challenges, Morocco ranks relatively well in global cybersecurity standings. The country is classified among 'vigilant actors' in the fight against financial crime according to the 2025 Global Economic and Financial Crime Index, placing 75th out of 177 countries with a score of 2.14 points.
For organizations, Kaspersky recommends keeping all software updated, limiting exposure of remote desktop services, implementing comprehensive endpoint detection solutions, utilizing threat intelligence, and maintaining regular data backups.
'Organizations in Africa should prioritize a unified approach by enhancing collaboration, investing in specialized cybersecurity training, and promoting digital literacy to effectively combat the rising tide of cybercrime,' Yamout concluded.
Read also: Morocco Ranks Among Top Five Arab Nations in Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 Tags: cyberattacksCybersecurity in MoroccoGITEX Africa 2025Kaspersky
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Similarly, the error on the geographical and political map is a strong signal regarding the host country's position in relation to a regional conflict in which the country of the head of state visiting is involved. Seven: Justifying a political and diplomatic decision that does not seem to have been well understood. This stance is aimed at the so-called traditional allied countries that are reluctant to admit that their privileged status is being challenged. A new breeze is in the air, favoring realism and pragmatism, and they have to get it or leave the stage. Most of the criteria mentioned above can be witnessed, to some extent, in the style of Mohammed VI, King of Morocco. One: The use of the media to convey messages is done through appropriate media. King Mohammed VI very seldom speaks directly to the media. He seems to prefer not to engage in the question-and-answer game, which can lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary subtleties. Two: Clarity in ideas and mastery in responding to urgent questions. The King uses a top-notch instrument, rational, clear, and straightforward: speeches. They are concise and get straight to the point. In terms of foreign policy, the speeches are clear, and the targeted actors are identified. Three: The deep care given to timing and context. The King makes it a cornerstone of the message he intends to deliver. This is a coherent approach in line with the outlined priorities. Four: The delineation of the scope of future negotiations with partners and other countries interested in serious relationships with Morocco. National interest comes first. No concessions regarding sovereignty in its political, diplomatic, economic, and security dimensions are accepted or imposed. Five: The accuracy and relevance of the political and strategic vision. In this respect, two speeches and messages are worth mentioning. Diplomacy: Transparency Means Business First, the speech delivered on April 20, 2016, on the occasion of the Morocco-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit. King Mohammed VI draws attention to the dangers facing the Arab world, particularly the attempts to change regimes and fragment Arab states. He warns against the new alliances aimed at creating conditions of disorder that threaten stability in the region and the viability of sovereign states. A year later, a coalition of five countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen, and Egypt) rises against Qatar. Once again, King Mohammed VI stands out with his mastery and vision, breaking the economic blockade imposed on this country by sending emergency food and medical aid in June 2017, as a sign of solidarity with the Qatari people. Morocco nonetheless maintains friendly relations with the members of the coalition, despite a brief cooling period that was quickly overtaken. Morocco hardly pays attention to the statements from certain circles in Doha who claim, ignoring the symbolism of the King's gesture, that their country receives no aid from anyone and that it would have paid for what it has received accordingly. Secondly, the speech in which King Mohammed VI draws the red lines beyond which Morocco cannot accept to promote its relations with both partners and adversaries. The royal speech of August 20, 2022, on the prism through which Morocco views its international environment, is a striking illustration of the King's diplomatic perception. This prism is assessed based on the position of friendly countries and other countries regarding the issue of the Moroccan Sahara. Six: The promotion of the peaceful approach to resolving bilateral inter-state conflicts. King Mohammed VI emphasizes at least five dialogue techniques along with the rejection of belligerent means that Morocco's adversaries are fond of. One: The outstretched hand aimed at identifying the actors who have a grudge against Morocco. These are sovereign state actors, members of the United Nations Organization, eager for double talk and fervent adepts of bureaucratic jargon. Two: The invitation addressed to the international community to appreciate Morocco's goodwill in contrast to the bad faith of its adversaries, state actors in the Euro-Mediterranean and Arab-African spaces. Three: The distinction and complementarity between domestic and foreign policy choices. The link between the two (Linkage politics) is fluid. It is expressed in accordance with the current political and diplomatic swings without deviating from the fundamental principles governing the two arenas. Four: Pragmatism and adaptation. Both are part of the framework designed to neutralize opponents and maintain a line of contact through international bodies. Two striking examples. On one hand, the proposal of the Autonomy Plan in 2007 to resolve the issue of the regional conflict over the Moroccan Sahara. On the other hand, the return of Morocco to the African Union in 2017. Five: The junction between national and international priorities in the same speech subtly conveys the same message. It is up to the intranational and international actors to grasp it at its true value and interpret it appropriately. President Donald Trump's style, through the slogan 'America First,' which grates on the United States' rival nerves, allows him to break the iceberg of doubt among his allies and adversaries. During his recent tour of the Gulf region, he returned to Washington with promises of investments amounting to trillions of dollars. Enough to leave political and economic planners and military strategists disoriented, most of whom are still navigating the uncertainties of the Cold War or Third World literature. 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