European Ice Hockey Federation

The European Ice Hockey Federation (EIHF), headquartered in Belgium, serves as the governing body for ice hockey across Europe. Its core responsibilities involve organizing competitions, establishing rules, and promoting the sport at the continental level. The EIHF operates within the international winter sports sector, coordinating activities among its member national associations. Its primary markets encompass European nations participating in ice hockey, facilitating tournaments and development programs. The federation plays a crucial role in structuring the sport's growth and competitive framework throughout the region.

The EIHF has been identified as a target of sophisticated cyber operations. In January 2017, the threat actor group known as Pawn Storm executed credential phishing and spear phishing campaigns against the federation alongside other international winter sports organizations. These attacks exploited social engineering techniques, specifically tabnabbing, to steal login credentials. The compromised credentials potentially enabled unauthorized access to email systems, risking further data theft. This incident coincided with geopolitical tensions related to bans on Russian athletes in Olympic competition, reflecting Pawn Storm's pattern of targeting global sports bodies during politically sensitive periods. The attackers demonstrated consistent operational methods, utilizing reused infrastructure and crafting phishing lures that mimicked legitimate services such as Microsoft Exchange and OneDrive. The objective appeared to be facilitating unauthorized system access and enabling potential influence operations through the exfiltration of sensitive information.