Asos warns customers about full extent of data breach after BBC contacted by hackers — SkimNews
Get the Tech newsletter
Daily tech — startups, AI labs, chips, the launches that shape the next decade. Free.
- Asos told customers hackers possess detailed profiles of potentially millions of users, including names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, customer numbers, and website search histories
- BBC News informed the retailer after being contacted by cyber criminals who claimed the breach went beyond the "basic contact details" Asos had initially acknowledged
- Asos disclosed via the London Stock Exchange that an "unauthorised third party" used its own app to send a pop-up notification to potentially millions of people on Tuesday
- Stolen search terms visible in the sample data — including "reclaimed vintage", "glamorous wide fit" and "Asos petite" — enable scammers to craft targeted phishing attacks and impersonation scams, the source notes
- Asos confirmed to customers that no bank details or passwords were accessed, but warned them to remain cautious of unsolicited messages claiming to be from the retailer
- Asos declined to answer questions about the scale of the breach
Why it matters: The breach appears far more invasive than Asos's initial "basic contact details" description — search terms reveal shopping preferences and body-type concerns that scammers can weaponize for targeted phishing. Asos still declines to specify how many users are affected, leaving customers unable to gauge personal exposure.
Ask SkimNews
