<div class="titreune0"><span class="titreune6"><a href="http://www.afrik-news.com/article18389.html">http://www.afrik-news.com/article18389.html</a><br><br>Morocco’s militant hackers</span></div>
<div class="boutons3"><span class="pays"><a href="http://www.afrik-news.com/archives-2010-10.html" class="pays">Monday 18 October 2010</a><span class="pays5"> / by <a href="http://www.afrik-news.com/writer1051.html">Stéphanie Plasse</a></span></span></div>
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<div id="chapeau" class="chapeau3">They are militant hackers who have
attacked sites in Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Israel... Their screen messages
have been likened to messages on banners hoisted by demonstrators in
protest or support of political, social or even religious ideologies.
The group is very active in Morocco, from where they have often hacked
into sensitive security systems.</div>
<div id="print" class="print2"><p class="spip">Sitting behind their
computer screens, they meticulously encode and decode IT security
systems in search of the slightest miscalculation in order to launch an
attack. Widely known as hackers in Morocco, they have gone haywire and
are relentless in their efforts to penetrate into both local and foreign
sites. Egypt, Kuwait and Israel have all fallen victim to their
devices.</p>
<p class="spip">But these are not some casual credit card thieves. They
fall into a new category of activists known as "hacktivists". And while
the oil that keeps the wheels of this underground movement rolling is
the Internet, it is their ideological beliefs that keep their lamps
alight. "It is the oldest form of hacking. Many developing countries
resort to this mode of protest," says Ali El Azzouzi, a Moroccan IT
security expert. In recent years, Morocco, like many other countries,
has seen a surge in hacking.</p>
<p class="spip"><strong class="spip">Born Hackers</strong></p>
<p class="spip">Although there is no typical profile, hackers are often
portrayed as young, under 20 computer enthusiasts. "’Haktivists’ can be
grouped into two categories: ’white hat’ and ’black hat’. In other
words, good guys and bad guys. ’White hat’ refers to those that break
into networks without necessarily causing havoc, whilst ’black hats’
usually refers to those who hack into systems with very destructive, and
sometimes money-making, intentions" said a young ’geek’ who spoke on
condition of anonymity.</p>
<p class="spip">Haktivists are organized in groups and sometimes go by
unsuspecting names like "Ghosts of Morocco" to more aggressive ones such
as "Team Evil". For Damien, an IT journalist at Zataz, "this is a group
of young guys who are fooling around." "Hacking is their hobby. Some
try pushing political ideologies, but in most cases, they are only
excuses to engage in hacking."</p>
<p class="spip"><strong class="spip">Piracy</strong></p>
<p class="spip">Nonetheless, militant hackers are busy doing what they
do best. And their latest feats include a site belonging to a Spanish
disco, Meca. Meca looks like a mosque and has a dome and a minaret.
September 13, hackers replaced the homepage with a picture of the Haram
al-Sharif (Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem), accompanied by a hacker’s
signature: a male face adorned with a red cap bearing a star. The hacker
also left a message: "Do you want to discover one day that your church
has become a place dedicated to livestock or garbage?"</p>
<p class="spip">Spain was not the only country to suffer that month.
Egypt’s Ministry of Communications saw its site falling prey to Moroccan
hackers after the broadcast of a TV movie, Dishonor. According to the
group, the movie insults the integrity of Moroccan women.</p>
<p class="spip">This type of online activism emerged in 2006 with "Team
Evil". The group hacked over 750 Israeli sites in response to an
offensive by the Jewish state in the Gaza Strip. The affected sites had
warning messages posted on their screens, some of which read: “Site
hacked by Team Evil Arab Hackers. As long as you kill Palestinians, we
will kill your servers”.</p>
<p class="spip">The Israeli response was quick. Some 250 Internet sites
in the North African Kingdom were attacked. Contrary to Israel, the
damage to Morocco was heavy. Attack from Israel’s “TEAM Good” on the
Moroccan ISP Omihost hit some important servers containing back-ups. War
on the Web was officially launched and hacktivism was born.</p>
<p class="spip">But despite its somewhat political agenda, hacktivism
"remains an illegal and destructive way to express one’s anger. The
intention is commendable, but the act is not," says Anas El Filali B.,
founder of the blog Big Brother.</p>
<p class="spip"><strong class="spip">Without protection</strong></p>
<p class="spip">But if hacktivism has become so big, it is due to the
vulnerability of systems on the one hand, and the religious
determination of hackers on the other hand. Only a few ministries have
the necessary tool capable of deterring cyber attacks.</p>
<p class="spip">Hacktivists have the leeway to operate in Morocco. "It
is a conquered land" says Ali El Azzouzi. "The sites are not secure and
there is a legal vacuum in this area".</p>
<p class="spip">Indeed, the Moroccan Penal Code which frowns against
cybercrime and intrusions into databases as well as the law on the
protection of personal data are hardly ever applied. "Judges are not
trained enough and do not know who they are dealing with," says the
expert.</p></div>