Cyberattacks : The new frontline in the Morocco-Algeria rivalry
Rivalry between Moroccans and Algerians has extended beyond social media disputes over cultural, culinary, and fashion heritage, reaching into the realm of cyberattacks. Tensions between the two countries have spilled into the cyber domain, with Moroccan and Algerian hackers targeting government websites, social media accounts, and media institutions.
One of the most significant recent incidents was orchestrated by Algerian hackers, who leaked a large volume of sensitive data. The Algerian group JabaRoot DZ launched a series of cyberattacks targeting the websites of Morocco's Ministry of Economic Inclusion and the National Social Security Fund (CNSS).
This attack stands out as the largest in a long-running series of mutual cyberattacks between hackers from the two countries—an escalating cyberwarfare fueled by political tensions. Yabiladi recapped cyber incidents between Moroccan and Algerian hackers over the last 15 years, most of which followed political developments or flashpoints of conflict, such as the Western Sahara issue and Algeria's support for the Polisario.
Politicized cyber-attacks
In 2010, following the deadly Gdim Izik events in which 11 Moroccan security officers were killed, Moroccan hackers targeted the websites of the Algerian Ministry of the Interior and the Algerian National Tourist Office. The attacks were described as acts of «revenge» and retaliation for the violence in Laayoune.
That same month, November 2010, Moroccan hackers breached the website of the Algerian embassy in the United States, leaving behind a Moroccan flag and the national anthem as their signature.
These cyber offensives continued into 2011, with Moroccan hackers attacking several Algerian government websites, including that of the Algerian tax authority. They left a defiant message on its homepage: «Moroccan dissuasive forces are defending the supreme interests of the Kingdom». The homepage also displayed the Moroccan national motto, «Dieu, la patrie, le roi» (God, the Country, the King), along with a map of Morocco bearing the national flag.
According to Algerian newspaper TSA, Moroccan hackers also breached other financial and government websites, including the Algiers stock exchange. Algerian hackers quickly retaliated, hacking 174 Moroccan company and institutional websites and leaving a message «in response to a group of Moroccan idiots». These attacks coincided with a speech by King Mohammed VI on the 36th anniversary of the Green March, during which he called on Algeria to help build a strong and united Maghreb.
In 2013, Moroccan hackers targeted the website of Algeria's public television channel (ENTV), leaving messages asserting Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara. On the same day, they also reportedly breached the Algerian stock exchange's website. TSA noted that Moroccan hackers frequently targeted Algerian newspapers, including TSA itself, Le Quotidien d'Oran, and Transactions d'Algérie.
In 2014, Algerian hacking groups retaliated. According to a report by the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (MIPA), websites including the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government portals were attacked by Algerian hackers.
«No peace between systems»
By 2020, cyberwarfare between the two nations had escalated further. That year, Moroccan hackers breached the Algerian Ministry of Health's website, along with sites belonging to the national agency for hydrocarbon resource development, UNESCO Algeria, and others including the Environmental Sector Policy Support Program, ONID, and the Mazafran Hotel.
In November 2021, Algerian hackers struck back, hacking the website of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), replacing its contents with an Algerian flag and the message: «No peace between systems». In response, Morocco Hack Team targeted the website of the Algerian Ministry of Finance.
Earlier that same year, Moroccan hackers breached 280 Algerian websites, including many affiliated with the government. The attack was allegedly in response to comments on King Mohammed VI by Al-Shorouk TV deemed «insulting».
The cyberwar continued into 2022. In March, the Algerian Ministry of Justice accused Moroccan hackers of compromising its official Twitter account, which briefly published pro-Russian messages and inflammatory accusations against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the tweets were deleted.
In August of the same year, the website of Dhar El Mahraz University of Sciences in Fez (FSDM) was hacked by a young Algerian hacker. In January 2023, the website of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco (BNRM) was breached. The hackers left a message: «We're sending a message to Moroccan hackers: stop leaking Algerian data so we can stop ourselves too».
Shortly after, confidential data from Morocco's Ministry of National Education was published, exposing information on nearly one million students. In retaliation, thousands of records on Algerian students were leaked online, according to media reports.
An alternative battlefield
The ongoing cyber conflict continues to compromise sensitive data and disrupt digital infrastructure in both countries. Experts describe these incidents as a new form of confrontation.
In an article titled A Cyber Shadow War between Algeria and Morocco, African affairs researcher Hamdi Bashir argues that this growing wave of cyberattacks signals a new phase of unconventional hostility. He warns that these attacks are likely to escalate further, targeting government systems, infrastructure, public services, military facilities, and economic sectors—particularly oil and gas.
With a similar conclusion, the cyber-intelligence company specializing in external threat landscape management, CYFIRMA, stated in a 2024 report on cyberattacks in Morocco that recent attacks in the country «have become a powerful tool to inflict damage and assert influence».
Beyond the geopolitical considerations, these attacks expose Morocco's vulnerability to such targeting. A MIPA analysis on the achievements and challenges facing cybersecurity in Morocco indicates that the evolving nature of cyber-attacks «necessitates constant adaptation, conformity with the international context, and investment in technological solutions, human resources, and national and international cooperation to ensure a robust cybersecurity posture».
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