UK online retailer ASOS shares drop on reports of cybersecurity breach

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

Oct 6 : Shares in ASOS dropped more than 11 per cent on Tuesday after media reports said customers of the British online fashion retailer received push notifications saying the company was hacked.

Reuters could not immediately verify the reports. An ASOS spokesperson said it was aware of the reports but did not confirm or comment further.  

The notification - addressed to ASOS' data protection officer and IT department - read, "we have fully compromised the Snowflake instance. Engage with us, or we will leak it," according to the reports.

"Snowflake is a massive cloud database where retailers typically store sensitive customer information, a real worry if cyber criminals have indeed accessed it as they claim," said Dray Agha, senior manager of security operations at cybersecurity platform Huntress.

CNA Games

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less

British companies and institutions have been increasingly hit by aggressive and regular cyber and ransomware attacks in recent years. The British Library, a blood testing service, the London Underground, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Jaguar Land Rover are some of the companies that have suffered months of disruption due to such breaches.

"The push notification suggests attackers have breached the systems controlling the ASOS mobile app also," Agha said. "Sending a ransom demand directly to consumer devices is an aggressive extortion tactic designed to force the business into a quick negotiation."

ASOS shares were up more than 60 per cent so far this year. The company has been divesting assets and last month provided an upbeat profit forecast for fiscal 2026. 

Newsletter

Week in Review

Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review

Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Subscribe here

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Download here

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Join here