CenterPoint Energy discloses customer data breach in SEC filing

(Corrects advisory to say that a September 14 story was updated with the company’s response in bullet 5)

Sept 14 (Reuters) – CenterPoint Energy said in an SEC filing on Monday that the company had become aware in September of an online post by a third party claiming to have obtained a dataset of information on some of its customers.

• The Texas-based utility said it activated its cybersecurity incident response protocols and enlisted third-party cybersecurity experts after learning of the post, while also taking steps to further protect its systems.

• The company said its investigation determined that an unauthorized third party obtained personal information relating to a portion of its customers through one of its external-facing systems.

• CenterPoint said its electric and gas services have not been affected and remain operational, and it does not currently believe the incident is reasonably likely to have a material impact on its financial condition or the results of its operations.

• It has incurred and expects to continue incurring expenses tied to the incident and its response, the utility said, adding that it carries cybersecurity insurance it believes will offset related costs.

• “Our filing speaks for itself,” a CenterPoint Energy spokesperson said on Tuesday when Reuters reached out to the company with a request for comment.

(Reporting by Dharna Bafna and Pooja Menon in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Pooja Desai)