International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) is the international governing body responsible for the sports of bobsleigh and skeleton. Headquartered in Switzerland, the organization establishes the rules and regulations for international competition, oversees athlete rankings, and manages major global events including World Cup circuits and world championships. Its operational scope encompasses the development and promotion of both winter sliding sports, which feature prominently in the Olympic Winter Games programme. The IBSF works with national member federations worldwide to standardize technical specifications for equipment and ice tracks, while also implementing safety protocols for athletes and officials. Through its governance structure, it coordinates the annual competitive calendar and sanctions events that form the pinnacle of the sport. The federation's core mission centers on regulating elite competition, fostering the growth of bobsleigh and skeleton at all levels, and representing these disciplines within the broader Olympic movement.

A documented security incident involving the IBSF occurred in December 2017 when the organization was targeted by the Pawn Storm threat actor group. This campaign was part of a broader series of credential phishing attacks directed at multiple Olympic winter sports institutions. Attackers employed deceptive emails and fraudulent login pages to steal user credentials, potentially enabling further network access and data exfiltration. The timing of this activity coincided with disciplinary proceedings against Russian athletes, a context where compromised data could be leveraged to influence media coverage and public narratives. This incident mirrored previous compromises of anti-doping agencies and sports arbitration bodies by the same group, demonstrating a persistent pattern of exploiting high-profile sporting events for strategic intelligence gathering and propaganda dissemination. The IBSF's role as a key entity within international winter sports governance rendered it a relevant target for such politically motivated cyber operations.