From Fes to Firewalls: The Unconventional Journey of a Moroccan Cyber Defender

In the first part of the second episode of Cyber Hub Podcast, Hamza Lahrach and Aymen El Haski hosted Fahd ABIDA to talk cybersecurity. Abida entered cybersecurity through a non-traditional path, having been born in Fes, Morocco, and having had little access to formal technology training. He stumbled into the field in 2012 while trying to fix a local network issue with a basic script. What began as a hobby quickly turned into a personal mission. Without mentorship, resources, or institutional learning spaces, Fahd turned to online communities like C2Zero and early Arabic-language hacking forums. Not having a good grasp of either French or English at the time, he first had to learn language so that he could read content. “There were no videos, everything was written,” he recalls. “I didn't even know Arabic properly, but I had to continue.” These early years laid the foundation for what would be a career marked by deep technical proficiency and an unyielding commitment to self-study.

His move to France offered opportunity — not directly to cybersecurity, but to formal academic study in systems engineering and physics. Although he was studying fields that were outside of IT, Fahd never shed his hacker roots. He juggled freelance work, independent penetration testing, and late hours spent on technical forums. While those around him were getting traditional development or banking jobs, Fahd deliberately broke into cybersecurity. “I didn't just want to code,” he explained. “I wanted to find solutions — to think like a hacker.” Despite his technical ability, he faced a common obstacle: a lack of professional experience. Customers needed to be assured of trustworthiness and reliability before they would let him touch sensitive systems. Fahd persevered nonetheless, building a reputation for being able to mediate between high-level technical proficiency and the needs of business.

The episode also points to cultural and economic hurdles facing cybersecurity hopefuls in Morocco. Fahd paints a clear picture: families who want engineering degrees, secure jobs, and fast financial returns — not a teenage boy spending hours in front of a screen aspiring to be a “hacker,” a term still not clearly grasped by the majority. “Sit down with your parents and attempt to tell them that you'll be home for five years, studying online, asking for money, and that one day, somehow, you'll have a job that no one has ever heard of,” he describes. But beyond family expectations lies a greater difficulty: the ecosystem at large. Cybersecurity education has only recently become part of Moroccan official academic programs. Resources are scarce, training is expensive, and many companies are still learning what a penetration test is — let alone why they need one.

Fahd contrasts this with the maturity of the European cybersecurity market. In France, while there are still gaps, the sector is structurally supported — through government policy, institutional training, and dedicated funding. “It's not just about knowledge,” he stresses. “It’s about time — time to mature the culture, the mindset, the systems.” He explains how real-world simulation (red teaming) goes far beyond traditional penetration tests, requiring not just technical skills but social engineering, strategy, and long-term planning. “You’re not just clicking tools,” he says. “You’re thinking like an attacker — with patience, creativity, and purpose.”

By the end of the discussion, Fahd’s message is clear: cybersecurity is not a technical niche anymore — it's a strategic asset. From Morocco to Europe and elsewhere, it's about more than defence; it's about foresight, preparedness, and respect for a discipline that protects the very backbone of our digital societies. As he reflects on his journey — from impromptu scripts in Fes to high-stakes operations in France — one thing is certain: talent can emerge from anywhere. It just needs time, access, and belief.

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