One signal

ASOS customers have reported receiving an app notification claiming the retailer’s Snowflake instance was compromised and threatening to leak data. The notification is a claim, not proof that anyone accessed the instance or customer information.

Why it matters

The Register reports that the message addressed ASOS’s data protection officer and IT team, and linked to a Telegram channel. It says how the notification was sent remains unclear, and that it had asked ASOS and Snowflake for comment. The distinction matters: this is a reported security alert, not a confirmed data breach. The Register also says ASOS shares fell by around 12 per cent after reports of the notification, though they later recovered slightly. Has ASOS or Snowflake since confirmed what happened, or is the alarming message still the only evidence of a breach?

Discuss: Should companies publicly address a breach threat before they can verify it, or does that risk amplifying an attacker’s claim?

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.