Asos hackers demand ransom or face data leak as cybersecurity experts warn shoppers of phishing threat

From the Newshound archive · first published 7 October 2026 · last updated 8 October 2026.

Hackers have threatened to publish personal data belonging to Asos's 16.5 million customers unless the fashion retailer pays a ransom, after hijacking its app to send a mass push notification stating 'we have fully compromised the Snowflake instance — engage with us or we will leak it.' Asos confirmed that customer names and contact details could have been accessed, though it said payment card details and passwords were not affected. The company's share price dropped more than 10% on Tuesday, and the National Cyber Security Centre has offered its support.

The rogue alert, sent at 10.01am Tuesday, directed customers to a Telegram group called Xuanye Gateway and identified Asos's data protection officer by name.

ESET cybersecurity expert Jake Moore, appearing on Good Morning Britain, told customers to avoid clicking any links in the notification and to stay away from the hackers' Telegram channel.

Security specialists warn that the most immediate danger is a wave of sophisticated phishing emails and texts exploiting confusion around the breach to steal passwords and banking credentials.