ASOS addresses 'hack' message after shoppers receive sudden notification
ASOS has acknowledged a 'hack' message after shoppers received a sudden chilling alert to their mobile phones.
A message appeared on the screens of users of the mobile application which read 'ASOS HACKED' on Tuesday morning (6 October).
It then appeared to go on to threaten the owners of the app over a possible 'leak' but left users bewildered and rushing to social media.
The alert raised security concerns about the app and site being hacked and what that meant for shoppers and their data.
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The message went on to read: "Dear ASOS DPO and IT, we have fully compromised the snowflake instance. Engage with us or we will leak it."
LADbible clicked the link which invited users of Telegram to a closed group called the Xuanye group gateway, which had 316 subscribers at the time of writing.
Tech experts have since responded to the alert, outlining exactly what it could mean for shoppers and how they can protect themselves.
This includes app users making sure they are using 'randomly-generated, long, unique passwords' for all different accounts and backing up important data.
The alert had been sent out via a push notification which was delivered to phone users that have the app downloaded, sparking concern on social media.
DPO, referenced directly in the message, is understood to refer to the data protection officer, the appointed person in a company who takes responsibility for safeguarding the data and information of customers. Snowflake meanwhile is an online data platform used by various companies.
ASOS addresses 'hack' message
ASOS have now addressed the message that users received for the first time.
LADbible approached the company for a response when the news broke earlier today. We then contacted the customer service online chat where we spoke to an AI chatbot and then a human agent.
The line repeated in a statement was: "We’re aware of the notification and are currently investigating. We don't have any further information to share at this stage, but we'll provide an update as soon as we know more.”
LADbible has approached the company for a full response.
"This is an unusually brazen message"
Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, has described the alert as 'unusually brazen and threatening', with the hackers' message demanding the company engage with them or they will leak whatever they claim to have obtained.
In a statement shared with LADbible, he said: “The attackers aren't simply claiming to have breached ASOS - they're publicly telling the company to engage with them or they will leak what they say they have obtained.
“What makes it even more concerning is how that threat appears to have been delivered. A message apparently written for ASOS's data protection and IT teams has instead been pushed directly to customers through the company's own app notification system.
"That suggests someone has gained unauthorised access to at least part of ASOS's systems, although we don't yet know how extensive that access is."
He went on to explain that customers should be alerted to emails and texts going forward, adding: “What customers should be particularly alert to now is what happens next.
"High-profile cyber incidents create ideal conditions for phishing attacks.
"Criminals may exploit the publicity by sending emails and texts claiming to be from ASOS, perhaps asking customers to reset a password, confirm payment details, check an order or claim a refund.
“Don't click links in unexpected messages, even if they look convincing. Go directly to the ASOS app or website instead.
"Customers should also make sure their ASOS password is unique and, if they've used the same password elsewhere, change it on those accounts too.
“Until ASOS completes its investigation, we won't know exactly what has been accessed or how the attackers got in. But this incident shows how powerful access to a trusted communications channel can be.
"When an attacker can potentially speak to customers through a company's own systems, it makes the threat considerably more convincing and potentially much more damaging.”
Topics: ASOS, Technology, Shopping, World News, UK News
James Holt