ASOS customers receive push alerts saying company was hacked, claiming Snowflake breach; shares sink 11%
ASOS customers received push notifications claiming the retailer had been hacked via its Snowflake data platform, sending shares down more than 11% on Tuesday, though ASOS has not confirmed any breach.
ASOS customers received push notifications saying the company was hacked on Tuesday, according to media reports, with text addressed to the retailer’s data and IT teams: “Dear Asos DPO and IT, we have fully compromised the Snowflake instance. Engage with us, or we will leak it.”
According to media reports, the alert went out at around 10am BST, appearing as a legitimate ASOS app notification, and customers posted screenshots on social media. ASOS has not confirmed any compromise, and Reuters said it could not immediately verify the reports. An ASOS spokesperson told Reuters only that the company was aware of the reports, declining to comment further.
Dray Agha, senior manager of security operations at cybersecurity platform Huntress, said Snowflake is “a massive cloud database where retailers store sensitive customer info” and it was “a real worry if cyber criminals have indeed accessed it as they claim”. Agha added that a ransom demand sent directly to consumer devices was “an aggressive extortion tactic designed to force the business into a quick negotiation”.
Michele Campobasso, a senior security researcher at Forescout, advised ASOS app users not to click any link in the notification — the message reportedly named a Telegram channel — and to change their passwords as a precaution. Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, cautioned that sending a push notification “doesn’t prove their full claims about the extent of the data breach”.
ASOS shares dropped more than 11 per cent on Tuesday. The stock is up more than 60 per cent this year as the online fashion retailer divests assets and issued an upbeat profit forecast for fiscal 2026 last month.
Sources
- Reuters via Channel News Asia, Oct 6 2026: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/uk-online-retailer-asos-shares-drop-reports-cybersecurity-breach-6436071
- Infosecurity Magazine, Oct 6 2026: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/asos-customers-message-suspected/
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