Overview
- The Texas Attorney General’s public breach database, updated in mid-October, lists 1,062,060 Texans as affected and identifies names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and driver's-license numbers as compromised.
- CenterPoint first disclosed the incident in a Sept. 14 SEC filing after finding an online post by a third party claiming to hold customer data, and the company says it activated incident-response procedures and hired outside cybersecurity, forensic, and legal advisors to investigate.
- The report filed with the state indicates CenterPoint had not finished notifying affected customers at the time of the submission, which starts the clock on consumer-notification duties under Texas law.
- CenterPoint says its electric and gas delivery services remain operational and unaffected while the company works with outside experts to confirm the breach’s scope and which customers must be notified.
- The inclusion of Social Security and driver's-license numbers increases the risk of identity theft and fraud, which could lead to credit-monitoring offers for customers and additional regulatory or legal scrutiny as the investigation continues.