Key facts
- Hacker collective Jabaroot claimed to have leaked 70,000 names from Morocco's police and intelligence network on August 24.
- The leaked data reportedly includes birth dates, bank account numbers, and professional rankings.
- Morocco's head of national security and intelligence, Abdellatif Hammouchi, was named in the leak.
- Morocco denied the attack, stating the data originated from old insurance company databases.
- Jabaroot released the data on Telegram, calling it a "gift to Spain" weeks after a migrant crisis.
- Experts suggest the leak may contain outdated information, citing the mention of a deceased former official.
The hacker group Jabaroot claimed on August 24 to have breached Morocco's police and intelligence network, releasing approximately 70,000 names and personal details. The data, compiled in spreadsheets, reportedly includes birth dates, bank account numbers, and professional rankings, and names some high-ranking officials, including Abdellatif Hammouchi, the head of the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
Morocco has denied the attack, asserting that the information is outdated and was sourced from databases belonging to insurance companies. Jabaroot, whose name translates to "power" or "domination" in Arabic, released the data on Telegram, framing it as a "gift to Spain" weeks after a migrant crisis involving 72,000 people crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
While some suspect Jabaroot to be an Algerian group, investigative journalist Jose Bautista and researcher Alec Barcenilla suggest the group could be composed of former Moroccan intelligence agents living in exile, or potentially Moroccan hackers disillusioned with corruption. The association with Algeria is seen by some as politically convenient for Morocco, allowing it to deflect blame.
Experts like Dr. Bassant Hassib, a cybersecurity specialist, urge caution, noting that the leak's most recent hire date appears to be 2020, indicating potentially old information. The mention of Abdelhak Khiame, the former director of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations who died in 2022, further supports the theory of outdated data. However, a former Moroccan overseas intelligence officer confirmed that some names on the list are accurate, including details of an informant family, and stated that the leak would "cause chaos within the system" by exposing "burned contacts" who would need to return to Morocco.
Jabaroot has a history of claiming data breaches against Moroccan institutions, including the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) in April 2025, the National Agency for Land Conservation (ANCFCC), and the justice ministry. Morocco has denied all these previous claims as well.