220 million traveler records exposed in Vietnam-linked APIS leak

An Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) database holding more than 220 million passenger and crew records, including passport numbers and flight details, was accessible online through a chain of security misconfigurations. The system appears linked to a Vietnamese organization, according to the researchers who discovered it.

Advance Passenger Information Systems are used worldwide to collect identity, passport, and flight information from airlines before passengers and crew arrive at or depart from a country.

The exposed records span January 2017 to April 2026 and could involve travelers of many nationalities who flew to, from, or through Vietnam during that period.