CenterPoint Energy Reports Personal Data Breach Affecting More Than 1 Million Texans
Summary
CenterPoint Energy reported that 1,062,060 Texas residents were affected by a data breach involving names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers. The total impact across other states remains unclear.
Key points
- CenterPoint told the Texas Attorney General’s Office that 1,062,060 state residents were affected.
- The company said compromised information included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers.
- CenterPoint previously told the SEC that customer information had been stolen; it said the incident did not affect operations.
- A hacker claimed to have obtained nearly 7.5 million user records. The article does not verify that claim.
- A 2.5-gigabyte archive allegedly containing exfiltrated data was made available for download; it seemingly included about 3 million phone numbers and other personal information.
- The total impact in Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio is unclear, and the article says notification letters to affected individuals apparently had not been sent.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- CenterPoint Energy
- Incident Type
- Data breach involving stolen customer information
- Data Types Exposed
- Names
- Addresses
- Social Security numbers
- Driver's license numbers
- Phone numbers
- Affected Records
- 1,062,060 Texas residents were reported affected; the total impact, including possible residents of other states, remains unclear. A hacker claimed to have obtained nearly 7.5 million user records.
- Affected Data Size
- A 2.5-gigabyte archive was allegedly made available for download; its contents were said to include approximately 3 million phone numbers and additional personal information.
- Operational Impact
- The company said the incident did not impact its operations.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- No ransom demand or extortion activity was reported. A hacker boasted of obtaining records and allegedly made an archive available for download.
- Claim Status
- confirmed