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Asos apologises to customers after ‘unauthorised activity’

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Cite

Saker-Clark, H. (2026, October 6). Asos apologises to customers after ‘unauthorised activity’. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/asos-shares-snowflake-telegram-b1299796.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Evening Standard · collected 2026-10-06 · by Henry Saker-Clark

Quick Summary

Asos issued an apology to its 16.5 million customers after some users received a push notification claiming the company had been hacked, though it was later revealed that Asos itself did not believe the notification was legitimate. The company is investigating “unauthorized activity” involving third-party platforms and stated that personal information like names and contact details may have been accessed but does not think payment card information or account passwords were compromised. As part of its response, Asos is working with cybersecurity experts and authorities while emphasizing that their website and app are functioning normally. The National Cyber Security Centre has offered assistance in the investigation.
Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Tuesday morning, ASOS customers received a phone alert claiming the retailer had been hacked. The message included a link to a Telegram chat threatening to leak customer data unless ASOS engaged with the hackers. Snowflake, an online platform used for storing and analyzing large amounts of data, was cited as being compromised by the alleged attackers.

More than 400 customers reported issues on Downdetector, and ASOS's shares fell almost 12% on the London Stock Exchange. The company acknowledged the issue but stated that it did not believe payment card information or account passwords were impacted, though personal data such as names and contact details may have been accessed.

ASOS has 17 million customers in over 150 countries, with the UK being its largest market at 49% of revenues. The company is currently undergoing a major turnaround program to halt declining sales and return to profit. Previous high-profile retail hacks include those on Marks & Spencer and Harrods.

Cyber experts warn that these incidents create ideal conditions for phishing attacks, urging customers to be wary of potential follow-up communications from ASOS or any other suspicious emails or texts.

Written for “Asos Data Breach” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Asos Data Breach
Technology · 16 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 19 claims Outlet record 64/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 4 claims Outlet record 64/100
The Straits Times
Hedges 3 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
Daily Mail
Hedges 3 of 50 claims Outlet record 69/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 64/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 3 of 17 claims Outlet record 64/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 19 claims Outlet record 64/100
BBC News
Hedges 6 of 31 claims Outlet record 68/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 64/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 64/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
3 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
16
Technology
Same framing elsewhere
2
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 8256 article(s) · 73 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 73 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Henry Saker-Clark
96 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 It comes as Poundland bosses prepare to meet Government ministers later this week amid concerns that the retailer will be broken up despite a solvent takeover move being tabled.
🔮 The company currently has around 80% of its jet fuel hedged at much lower prices than the market rate but will see this fade out following the end of the financial year.
🔮 The company currently has around 80% of its jet fuel hedged at much lower prices than the market rate but will see this fade out following the end of the financial year.
🔮 Marks & Spencer, Next and Primark’s parent firm are among a throng of retailers set to update investors next week, shedding light on UK consumer sentiment heading towards Christmas.
🔮 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Meta’s commercial terms could allow it to access and use content from news publishers’ websites to develop and provide its own products and services.
🔮 Inflation to surge beyond forecasts as UK economy set for growth slowdown
🔮 The economy is now expected to slow next year as accelerating inflation puts pressure on households and businesses, according to new forecasts published alongside the autumn Budget.
🔮 Inflation to surge beyond forecasts as UK economy set for growth slowdown
🔮 UK growth forecast slashed to 1% for next year amid Iran war impact The economy is now expected to slow next year as accelerating inflation puts pressure on households and businesses, according to new forecasts published alongside the autumn Budget.
🔮 The performance was also significantly stronger than expected, with economists having forecast a rate of 51.7 for the month. Any score above 50.0 indicates activity is growing while any score below means it is contracting.
Also by Henry Saker-Clark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 96 articles by Henry Saker-Clark →

Topics

Asos GCHQ NCSC Snowflake The National Cyber Security Centre

Subjects

Asos ORG · 5× NCSC ORG · 3× Snowflake ORG · 2× GCHQ ORG · 1× Harrods ORG · 1× Marks & Spencer ORG · 1× Richard Horne PERSON · 1× The National Cyber Security Centre ORG · 1×

Narrative

Snowflake said it has “found no compromise” of its platform after launching an investigation following the notification message. “The investigation is ongoing and we will provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available,” a spokeswoman added.
framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-06
🔮 The online retailer, which has 16.5 million customers, said personal informational, such as names and contact details, “may have been accessed” as a result.
2026-10-06 · Evening Standard
Asos says customer data may have been accessed after ‘unauthorised activity’ · assertive framing
2026-10-06 · Evening Standard
Asos apologises to customers after ‘unauthorised activity’ · assertive framing

Claims (22 extracted, 3 hedged)

Asos has apologised to customers who were sent a phone alert saying the online retailer had been hacked. asserted
retailer → apologise → alert
The fashion giant said it is investigating “unauthorised activity” involving a third-party platform and urged customers to disregard the notification and not click it or any links on it. asserted
it → say → it
The online retailer, which has 16.5 million customers, said personal informational, such as names and contact details, “may have been accessed” as a result. uncertain
informational → have → result
However, the company said it does not “believe that payment card information or account passwords, were impacted”. asserted
information → say → ?
In an email to customers on Tuesday evening, the firm told customers: “We’re sorry that you may have received an unauthorised push notification from us earlier today. uncertain
you → tell → us
“Please disregard the notification and do not click or engage with the external third-party link it contained.” asserted
it → disregard → link
Later on Tuesday, the company confirmed that an “unauthorised customer notification” had been sent out through its mobile app. asserted
notification → confirm → app
In a statement, the company said: “We are investigating unauthorised activity involving third-party platforms that we use to communicate with customers. asserted
we → say → customers
“We took immediate action to restrict access to the notification platforms and are working with our internal and external specialist advisers, as well as all relevant authorities. asserted
We → take → advisers
Read More “Our website and app are operating as normal, with no current disruption to any aspects of our operations. asserted
website → read → operations
“Customer trust is incredibly important to us, and if the situation changes an update will be provided as appropriate.” asserted
update → change → us
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ, has offered Asos assistance. asserted
Centre → offer → assistance
The notification message sent out by cyber attackers refers to cloud firm Snowflake, which stores data for many major companies. asserted
which → send → companies
Snowflake said it has “found no compromise” of its platform after launching an investigation following the notification message. “The investigation is ongoing and we will provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available,” a spokeswoman added. asserted
spokeswoman → say → updates
Asos told shareholders it has cyber security insurance with a large provider and said it is “too early” to quantify any potential impact on its trading. asserted
it → tell → trading
The UK is the group’s largest market, representing 49% of all revenues in the first half of the latest financial year. asserted
UK → represent → year
The fast fashion firm is currently undergoing a major turnaround programme in a bid to halt declining sales and return to profit. asserted
firm → undergo → profit
It comes after raft of UK retailers were targeted by cyber attackers over the past two years, including Marks & Spencer and Harrods. asserted
raft → come → Marks
Dr Richard Horne, chief executive of the NCSC, said: “The unauthorised notification sent out to Asos customers has brought into the light how cyber incidents do not simply affect big business but can have repercussions for individuals much more widely too. asserted
incidents → say → individuals
“The NCSC has been in contact with Asos today to offer our support as the company investigates what has taken place. asserted
what → offer → place
“Individuals who received the notification should not click on any suspicious links and should stay vigilant to suspicious messages that may seek to take advantage of news of the breach. uncertain
that → receive → breach
“If you are worried about your personal data being impacted, we recommend following the advice set out at ncsc.gov.uk to help stay safe online.” asserted
we → impact → ncsc.gov.uk
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