Cyberattack targets key government ministers in Morocco

The cyberattack saga persists in Morocco as fresh leaks reportedly expose high value transactions involving ministers from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), Yabiladi reported on July 17th.

The leaks, attributed to the notorious Algerian hacker JabaRoot DZ, follow previous breaches targeting several Moroccan government institutions, including the Ministries of Employment and Justice. The hacker has apparently taken responsibility for all exposures.

It is said the documents were taken from Tawtik, Morocco’s official digital notarial platform managed by the National Agency for Land Conservation (ANCFCC) in coordination with the National Council of the Order of Notaries.

The documents were then allegedly leaked on Telegram, exposing files which include deeds of sale, powers of attorney, national ID cards, and contracts linked to key PAM figures.

Dated between 2023 and 2024, several transactions worth hundreds of millions of dirhams, were reportedly validated by notaries, with some authorising third parties to buy and sell properties in Marrakech and Rabat on behalf of ministers.

Authorities in Morocco have yet to deny nor confirm the legitimacy of the leaked files, or formally identify the perpetrators, despite opening an investigation into the ongoing cyberattack issue as far back as April 2024.

Maghrebi.org reported on the previous cyberattacks Morocco endured on April 10th, where the official websites of the Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skill, alongside the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), were breached.

The Moroccan government allegedly blamed the attacks on “hostile actors,” who were attempting to “undermine Morocco’s diplomatic successes” in regard support from the US over the Western Sahara issue.

JabaRoot DZ continues to hint at deeper leaks still to come, focused on government officials and targeting Moroccan politicians in particular.

Yabiladi, Maghrebi.org