ASOS users woke up to a message they were not supposed to see. On Tuesday morning, October 6, the official ASOS app pushed a notification to customers, warning that the company had been hacked and that data could be leaked. The message was aimed at ASOS itself, not at shoppers.
The notification read: “Dear Asos DPO and IT, we have fully compromised the Snowflake instance.” It then warned, “Engage with us, or we will leak it.” The threat was direct, and it named the company’s data protection officer and IT team as recipients.
The Message That Reached Users
The notification appeared in the ASOS app. Users reported seeing the same message on Tuesday morning. Dexerto saw a screenshot of the notification, and numerous other users shared their experiences on social media. The pattern was consistent across multiple reports.
The mention of Snowflake likely refers to a cloud-based data platform that businesses use to store and manage data. The notification did not say what was accessed or whether customer information was compromised. It simply claimed control of the system and demanded engagement.
What ASOS Has Said So Far
ASOS has not publicly confirmed the apparent breach. The company has also not explained how the unauthorized notification was sent. Dexerto has contacted ASOS for comment, but no response has been made public.
The lack of a statement from ASOS is notable. In a data breach, companies typically move fast to confirm what happened, contain the damage, and reassure customers. ASOS has done none of that.
The Target of the Notification
The notification was addressed to the DPO and IT teams. That suggests the attackers were targeting the people responsible for ASOS’s data protection and security. The message was not a message to customers asking for passwords or payment details. It was a message to the company’s own staff, warning them that the data was already in hand.
The use of “we” in the notification is telling. The hackers are presenting themselves as a group, and they are demanding engagement. They want to talk before they act.
What Snowflake Is
Snowflake is a cloud-based data platform. The notification claims the hackers have “fully compromised” the Snowflake instance, which means they believe they have access to the data stored there.
The notification does not specify what data was accessed or whether customer information was compromised. That absence of detail leaves the threat unclear.
The Response From Users
Users responded quickly on social media. Many posted screenshots of the notification, showing the exact wording and the timing. The posts were shared widely, and the story spread rapidly.
The reaction was one of unease. Customers were not told what to do. They were not reassured. They were simply left with a message that suggested their data might be at risk.
What Happens Next
The key question now is whether ASOS will respond. The company has not confirmed the breach, and it has not explained how the notification was sent. The silence is itself a signal.
If ASOS confirms the breach, customers will need to know what data was exposed and what steps the company is taking to protect them. If ASOS denies the breach, the question becomes how the notification got through at all.
The notification was sent through the official app. The company has not said how it happened.
The Unease Factor
The notification created unease because it was unexpected. A data breach is bad enough. A data breach announced by the company itself, through the app customers use daily, is worse. The message was not hidden. It arrived on phones, and users saw it.
The hackers chose a blunt instrument. They did not try to hide their work. They wanted ASOS to know they were there, and they wanted ASOS to negotiate.
Key Facts Box
- Notification sent Tuesday morning, October 6
- Sent through the official ASOS app
- Addressed to ASOS DPO and IT teams
- Claims “full compromise” of Snowflake instance
- Demand engagement, or “we will leak it”
- No public response from ASOS yet
- Dexerto has contacted ASOS for comment
The story is still developing. ASOS has not confirmed the breach, and the hackers have not leaked anything. For now, customers are left with a message, a question, and a company that has not spoken.
The unease is real. It comes from the notification itself, from the silence that followed, and from the knowledge that data breaches happen and that companies sometimes find out about them the same way their customers do.
Source material: “ASOS hacked as users sent threatening notification warning about leak,” Dexerto.
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