Russia’s aviation personnel's health data leaked en masse

Millions of extremely personal records from the Rostec-owned Center of Aviation Medicine (TsAM) were leaked, exposing everything from names and phone numbers to allergies and account balances.

The information initially appeared on a popular data leak forum on the 9th of May, when Russia celebrates the Soviet victory in the Second World War. The post author claims the leaked dataset includes a myriad of private details, exposing a total of 1.1 million individuals.

While TsAM does service private individuals, one of its key tasks involves carrying out an expert assessment of the health status of flight test personnel and aviation personnel. That could mean that at least some of the information could expose Russia’s aviation industry members.

The Cybernews research confirmed the leaked data appears to be legitimate, with a whopping 250 data fields for each individual exposed. Those whose data may have been leaked could face severe privacy concerns with added layers of interest from nation-state actors.

“Malicious actors could utilize the leaked data for identity theft and various scams. Moreover, state-sponsored actors could use this information as a starting point for gathering detailed intelligence on the Russian aviation industry,” researchers said.

The leaked data includes details such as:

• Full names and surnames
• Russian social security/pension numbers
• Passport numbers
• Tax ID numbers
• Full addresses
• Patients’ cause of death
• Treatment codes
• Consultation records

Given the strenuous geopolitical situation, information about Russia’s aviation personnel could be of particular interest to foreign intelligence agencies. For example, nation-state actors could employ leaked data to identify individuals with exploitable health conditions, leveraging the leaked information for their benefit.

Established in the USSR in the early ‘50s, TsAM serves numerous locations in Russia. In 2007, the organization was incorporated into Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defense sector conglomerate. HQ’ed in Moscow, Rostec comprises numerous holding companies, the majority of which operate in the defense-industry complex.