CenterPoint Energy Confirms Data Breach After Dark Web Post Surfaces

CenterPoint Energy, a Houston-based electric and gas utility serving 7 million customers across Texas, Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio, has confirmed that hackers accessed personal customer information through one of its external facing systems. The company disclosed the incident in an 8-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission after becoming aware of a dark web post this month claiming to offer stolen data.

The post reportedly claims around 7.5 million records were taken, including customer names, account details, the last four digits of Social Security numbers and billing information. CenterPoint Energy says delivery of electricity and gas has not been affected, and it is working with third-party experts to determine the full scope of the breach before notifying affected customers and regulators as required by law. The matter has also been reported to law enforcement.

The company says it expects some investigation costs but does not anticipate a material financial impact. This is not the first such incident for CenterPoint Energy: last year it disclosed a separate breach linked to a 2023 attack involving a popular file sharing platform.