CenterPoint Energy confirms customer data breach in SEC filing

CenterPoint Energy has confirmed that an unauthorized third party accessed personal information belonging to some of its customers through an external-facing system, according to a regulatory filing. The Houston-based utility disclosed the breach in a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 14. The company stated that its investigation, which began after it became aware of an online post claiming to have obtained customer data, determined that personal information relating to a portion of its customers was compromised. CenterPoint has not disclosed the number of affected customers or the specific types of personal information involved, leaving the scale of the incident unclear. CenterPoint Energy serves more than 7 million metered customers across Texas, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio. The company emphasized that its electric and natural gas services were not disrupted by the incident and remain fully operational. It activated its incident-response plan, hired third-party cybersecurity specialists, and reported the matter to law enforcement and relevant regulators.