ASOS customers were left alarmed on Tuesday after a terrifying notification claiming the fashion retailer had been hacked appeared directly on their phones through the company's mobile app.
Thousands of users reportedly received a push notification titled 'ASOS HACKED' on 6 October. The message was addressed to ASOS's data protection officer and IT department and claimed that hackers had 'fully compromised the Snowflake instance'.
'Engage with us, or we will leak it,' the message added, alongside a link directing recipients to a Telegram account.
The notification appeared to be sent through the ASOS app, making the incident particularly unusual and raising questions about how the alleged attackers were able to reach customers through an official communication channel.
Despite the alarming notification, ASOS has not confirmed that it suffered a cyber attack or that customer information was accessed. The company said it was aware of reports about the incident but declined to confirm or comment further, according to Reuters. It also remains unclear what system the sender was referring to when mentioning a 'Snowflake instance.'
Snowflake is a cloud-based data platform used by businesses to store, process and analyse large quantities of information.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that the notification itself is concerning because successfully sending a message through the ASOS app could indicate access to systems controlling the retailer's communications with customers.
Dray Agha, senior manager of security operations at cybersecurity firm Huntress, said the alleged access to Snowflake would be a serious concern if the attackers' claims prove accurate. He also noted that the ability to send the extortion message through the app could suggest that attackers had gained access to systems beyond a database.
ASOS Shares Plunge After Hack Reports
The reports had an immediate impact on ASOS's share price. Shares in the British online fashion retailer fell by more than 11% on Tuesday, wiping out part of the company's recent gains.
Reuters reported that ASOS shares had risen by more than 60% during 2026 before Tuesday's fall. The company's website and app appeared to remain operational despite the alarming notifications.
There were also reports of customers experiencing problems accessing ASOS around the time the messages were sent. Nearly 500 reports were recorded on Downdetector shortly before 10am, although it has not been established that those reports were directly connected to the alleged cyber incident.
ASOS Customers React to 'Hacked' Alert
The unexpected notification prompted a wave of reactions from ASOS customers on social media and Reddit. One Reddit user on r/CasualUK said they were 'watching ASOS be threatened by hackers' and joked that they were now expecting an influx of spam emails.
Other users said they immediately deleted saved payment information from their accounts or changed passwords as a precaution.
Another Reddit discussion saw customers questioning what a 'Snowflake instance' actually meant and whether their personal information could be affected.
However, users were also warned against assuming that the notification proved their data had been stolen.
