Sporting bodies have become increasingly concerned about the dangers of cyber attacks in recent months after the leaking of confidential World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) information about athlete medical records.

This was obtained via a hack from the Russian-linked Fancy Bears' group.

It is thought they used an IOC password to gain access to the WADA Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) system.

The IAAF session was conducted by Council member Sylvia Barlag, former London 2012 General Counsel Terry Miller, and Luis Rodriguez, a representative of Geneva-based IT company Hacknet.

Barlag is a former Dutch high jumper and pentathlete, who has also worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland.

During both sessions, an audio visual presentation reportedly explained the vulnerabilities everyone is exposed to when using the internet for either personal or business purpose.

Staff were also delivered an "informative master class in best practice explaining how to remain safe and keep information secure in cyber space".

Training on ethical compliance principles and practice was also held.

This included an element explaining the approach developed by the IAAF Working Group on Governance and Integrity Reform to build a new culture of ethical compliance, including new rules to be adopted under an Integrity Code of Conduct.

Further staff training will supposedly be offered when the IAAF’s new Athletics Integrity Unit is established at the beginning of April this year.

It is thought the IAAF is among sporting organisations to have been targeted by cyber attacks.

Others to have suffered attacks include the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

Britain's four-time Olympic distance running champion Mo Farah also had his results removed from the IOC website in a potential hacking attempt late last year.