Asos app users recieved a strange notification this morning after some users reported issues with the UK retailer’s website.

The notification appears to have been sent through ASOS’s official app, although the retailer has yet to confirm whether its systems or customer data have been compromised.

The message was directed at Asos data protection officer and its IT department.

“Dear Asos DPO and IT, we have fully compromised the Snowflake instance,” the message to customers read.

Customers reported issues on Downdetector with the retailer’s website earlier this morning prior to the circulating app notification.

The message ended: “Engage with us, or we leak it.” It includes a link which could be to the alleged attacker’s Telegram channel.

The attackers claim to have compromised an ASOS Snowflake instance. Snowflake provides a cloud data platform used by organisations to store, process and analyse data, with an “instance” in this context referring to a customer’s environment on the platform.

However, it has not yet been confirmed that ASOS uses Snowflake or that any customer data has been accessed.

Snowflake customer environments have previously been targeted in a major data-theft campaign that affected organisations including Ticketmaster and Santander. Investigators at the time said the incidents involved compromised customer credentials rather than a breach of Snowflake’s own systems.

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The unusual nature of the alleged breach revolves around the message to customers – most dealings between targeted companies and cyber extortioners are behind closed doors. Threatening the firm over messages to customers shows that the hackers have alleged access to communications operations, and want the hack to be publicly known.

The hacking group behind the alleged hack has only created its shared Telegram today, and is calling itself Xuanye Group.

DIGIT has reached out to Asos for comment.