Minister Delegate in charge of National Defense, Abdellatif Loudiyi, has presented a draft national cybersecurity strategy aimed at protecting the Kingdom from digital attacks, in response to a question directed to the General Directorate for Information Systems Security (DGSSI) on Tuesday.
The endeavor comprises one of the objectives of the DGSSI, an entity affiliated with the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), and which is responsible for coordinating the response to the various forms of electronic threats to the country’s government infrastructure and strategic businesses.
Morocco established a national crisis management council to deal with large-scale digital assaults that might jeopardize national security.
The DGSSI has conducted a thorough evaluation of the information systems of ministries, public organizations, and strategic institutions to identify weaknesses and strengthen protective measures.
The Moroccan Information Systems Observatory (MACERT), which reports to the DGSSI, was tasked with detecting, analyzing and neutralizing security incidents affecting the Kingdom’s information systems.
MACERT collaborates with the relevant authorities, telecoms operators, ISPs, research centers and international organizations to exchange information and best practices in cybersecurity. It also increases user awareness of digital risks and how to protect against them.
DGSSI successfully repelled up to 150 digital attacks in 2023 which came from a variety of sources, such as hackers, terrorist groups, criminal organizations and hostile states.
The program regularly assesses the security level utilized in Morocco–whether domestic or foreign–and makes recommendations to improve their reliability. It also sends security alerts to private and institutional users when vulnerabilities are discovered in order to encourage them to update their systems and change their passwords.
MACERT circulated almost 400 warnings in 2023.
These figures show that Morocco has become one of the primary targets of online digital warfare, as the Kingdom faces major cybersecurity challenges, including the proliferation of connected devices, dependence on foreign technologies, lack of specialized skills, and low user awareness.
In light of these obstacles, Morocco needs an ambitious and effective cybersecurity strategy to ensure its security and development in the digital age.