Morocco Ranks Third in Africa for Cyberattacks, Mastercard Report Reveals

Morocco ranked third among African countries in the number of recorded cyberattacks, accounting for approximately 10.6% of the continent’s reported cybersecurity incidents, according to a Mastercard report released in 2025.

Cyberattack Surge Across Africa

The report documented a more than 421% increase in cyberattacks across Africa by the end of 2025 compared with 2016. It estimated that cybercrime caused direct losses of about $5 billion across the continent in 2025.

Four countries — Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco and Kenya — together accounted for 54.7% of the cyberattacks recorded in Africa during 2025, the report said.

Most Targeted Sectors and Methods

The technology sector was the most frequently targeted, representing about 15.7% of recorded attacks, followed by the public sector and financial services. Malware emerged as one of the most commonly used attack methods, alongside ransomware and email-based social engineering.

Mastercard described Morocco as one of Africa’s most digitally connected economies, highlighting its high internet connectivity, strong financial services sector and growing role as a regional technology hub linking North Africa with Europe.

Morocco’s Cybersecurity Landscape

Cyber threats targeting Morocco have been driven more by geopolitical motives than by financial gain, the report noted, pointing out that public institutions holding sensitive data about Moroccan citizens had been targeted in recent years.

The report also said Morocco had developed some of the continent’s more institutionalised cybersecurity governance structures, with a focus on protecting critical information infrastructure, mandatory incident reporting and data protection enforcement.

Across Africa, a shortage of digital skills remains a major challenge. The report estimated that the continent had about 200,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions and found that 82% of African institutions faced shortages in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity skills.

Most law enforcement agencies and national systems also lack behavioural analytics and automated response capabilities to counter cyberattacks powered by artificial intelligence, according to the report.

Recommendations to Address Skills Gap

To address these gaps, Mastercard recommended expanding professional training and practical learning opportunities supported by industry, developing data centres and secure cross-border data transfer mechanisms, and adopting flexible regulatory frameworks aligned with international standards and adapted to African economies.

The report also called for stronger regional public-private cooperation, including real-time exchanges of information and threat intelligence, and the creation of joint defence networks.