Asos has disclosed that hackers accessed data relating to millions of customers, including names, addresses, phone numbers and recent search histories. The online fashion retailer revealed the scope of the incident after users of its app received a notification headed “Asos hacked” that directed them to the Telegram messaging service.
According to reporting by the Guardian, the material accessed included terms customers had recently typed into the retailer’s search function, such as “glamorous wide fit” and “Asos petite”.
The combination of contact details and shopping-search information could allow criminals to produce especially credible phishing messages, security experts said. Such messages may appear tailored to a customer’s interests or recent activity, increasing the risk that recipients trust fraudulent communications.
The case highlights a wider consumer-data security concern for European online retail. Customers whose information has been accessed may face attempts to impersonate brands or customer-service teams, particularly through messages that refer to purchases, searches or account details.