Tuesday 6 October 2026
Evening EditionRSS
ZOTPAPER

News without the noise

ZOTPAPER
SecurityDeveloping

Asos shares plunge 12% after customers receive rogue hack notification

Online fashion retailer investigating claim of data breach as shares slump on London Stock Exchange

By LineZotpaper
Published
Updated
Read Time2 min
Sources8 outlets
Asos shares dropped nearly 12% on Tuesday after thousands of customers received a push notification from the company's mobile app claiming hackers had 'fully compromised' its data, prompting an ongoing investigation by the British online fashion retailer.

Customers of ASOS in Australia and the United Kingdom received a notification just before 8pm AEDT on Tuesday with the headline 'ASOS HACKED'. The message read: 'Dear Asos DPO and IT, we have fully compromised the Snowflake instance. Engage with us, or we will leak it.' It contained a link that directed recipients to a Telegram channel operated by a group calling itself the Xuanye group.

The value of Asos shares on the London Stock Exchange fell almost 12% as the news spread, though the company's website and app appeared to be continuing to operate normally. Asos has not yet publicly commented on the alleged hack and is still investigating whether any breach has occurred.

Snowflake is a cloud data platform used by companies to store, process and analyse data, including transactions and demographic information such as clothing sizes. According to its website, it is used by major businesses including Canva, the New York Stock Exchange, Disney and OpenAI. A data protection officer (DPO) is a role tasked with safeguarding customers' information.

Cybersecurity experts said the incident appeared to be an extortion attempt. Dray Agha, senior manager of security operations at Huntress, said Snowflake is 'a massive cloud database where retailers typically store sensitive customer information – it is a real worry if cyber criminals have indeed accessed it as they claim.' He added: 'Sending a ransom demand directly to consumer devices is an aggressive extortion tactic designed to force the business into a quick negotiation.'

Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN, warned customers to watch for follow-up phishing attacks. 'High-profile cyber incidents create ideal conditions for phishing attacks,' he said. 'Criminals may exploit the publicity by sending emails and texts claiming to be from Asos.'

Cyber experts noted they had not previously heard of the Xuanye group and suggested the push notification may be an attempt to grab wider attention.

Dozens of people from Australia and the United Kingdom shared screenshots of the notification on social media. Asos has around 17 million customers across 150 countries.

§

Analysis

Why This Matters

  • ASOS customers may be at risk of targeted phishing attacks following this high-profile incident, as cybersecurity experts warn criminals often exploit such publicity.
  • The aggressive extortion tactic of sending a ransom demand directly to consumer devices represents an escalation in cyberattack methods.
  • The share price plunge reflects investor concern about potential data exposure and the financial and reputational damage that could follow.

Background

ASOS is a British online fashion and cosmetics retailer operating in over 150 countries. The company relies on cloud infrastructure, including Snowflake, a platform that handles data storage, analytics, and push notifications for many large enterprises. This incident follows a pattern of cyberattacks targeting cloud-based data systems, though the tactic of broadcasting a ransom demand to customers via push notification is highly unusual. The group claiming responsibility, Xuanye, is not known to cybersecurity researchers, raising questions about whether the breach claim is genuine or an effort at gaining notoriety.

Key Perspectives

ASOS: The company is investigating the incident and has not confirmed whether any data was actually compromised. No public statement had been issued at the time of reporting. Cybersecurity experts: They view the push notification as a public extortion tactic designed to pressure the company into quick negotiations. They warn customers to remain vigilant against follow-up phishing attempts. Customers and investors: Thousands of customers received the alarming notification directly, causing concern about personal data. Investors reacted by selling off shares, with the stock falling nearly 12%.

What to Watch

  • Whether ASOS confirms a data breach or determines the notification was a hoax.
  • Potential follow-up phishing campaigns targeting ASOS customers via email, text, or phone.
  • Any communication from the Xuanye group, including whether they release data as threatened.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

How we workReport an errorSubscribe