ASOS says customer data may have been accessed in 'hack'

ASOS says customer data may have been accessed in a suspected hack that saw thousands of app users receive a notification claiming the company’s data systems had been compromised.

A push notification appeared on the screens of users of the fashion firm’s mobile application on Tuesday, October 6, which read “ASOS HACKED”.

It then appeared to threaten the app’s owners over a possible “leak” addressed to the ASOS data protection officer (DPO) and IT department.

A push notification appeared on the screens of users of the mobile application on Tuesday, October 6, which read "ASOS HACKED". — A push notification appeared on the screens of users of the mobile application on Tuesday, October 6, which read “ASOS HACKED”. STV News

The message read: “Dear ASOS DPO and IT, we have fully compromised the Snowflake instance. Engage with us or we will leak it.”

Asos said it is investigating “unauthorised activity involving third-party platforms” used to communicate with its customers but added: “We do not believe that payment-card information or account passwords, were impacted.”

Snowflake is an American cloud-based platform which provides companies with data analysis.

In 2024, hundreds of Snowflake customers were targeted in a mass data theft and extortion campaign.

Snowflake said that there is “no compromise” of their platform.

A spokesperson said: “As soon as we became aware of the notification that is currently being reported, we began an investigation.

“At this time, we can report that we have found no compromise of the Snowflake platform. We take customer privacy and security very seriously. The investigation is ongoing and we will provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available.”

Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN, said: “This is an unusually brazen and threatening message.

“The attackers aren’t simply claiming to have breached Asos – they’re publicly telling the company to engage with them or they will leak what they say they have obtained.

“What customers should be particularly alert to now is what happens next. High-profile cyber incidents create ideal conditions for phishing attacks.”

ASOS has been contacted for comment.