Attorney General Ken Paxton has published information showing that a recent CenterPoint Energy data breach may have exposed the personal information of over a million of their customers.
According to reporting on the breach and AG Paxton’s response to it by our TV partner, Channel 2, as of Monday, they still hadn’t formally notified their customers of the breach.
Ed Hirs, an energy fellow with the University of Houston, says that unfortunately, even in the energy business, these types of breaches are becoming more common. “This is really just business as usual in today’s world. Hackers are getting behind firewalls in the oil and gas business.”
Hirs went on to warn that for those million customers affected by the breach, their payment information may have been stolen. An issue he says he’s dealt with himself: “Once a year, a credit card of mine is compromised from one service station or restaurant or another. It just seems to be a part of everyday life.”
He says the real downside here is that, because CenterPoint Energy effectively has a monopoly on natural gas service in the Houston area, there isn’t really a way for customers to shop around and take their business to a company with better security.
The victims have not yet been notified. In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, CenterPoint said they're still working to determine which customers they will notify "in accordance with applicable legal requirements."