CenterPoint Energy data breach: 1 million Texans affected

We publish these pages from public notices and reporting so you can understand what was exposed. Everything here is already public. Always confirm with the organization named in your notice.

CenterPoint Energy, the Houston-based electric and gas utility, reported a data breach to the Texas Attorney General affecting 1,062,060 Texas residents. According to the state's listing, the exposed data includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers. If you are a current or former CenterPoint customer in Texas, take the steps below.

What happened

In a September 14, 2026 SEC filing, CenterPoint said an unauthorized third party obtained customer personal information through an external-facing system (Confirmed). The company said only a portion of its customers were affected and that the incident did not affect its gas or electric operations.

On October 13, 2026, the Texas Attorney General's breach listing showed 1,062,060 Texans affected (Confirmed, regulator listing). When it was posted, the listing indicated that individual notices had not yet been sent (Reported, SecurityWeek). CenterPoint also serves customers in Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio, and it has not said whether residents of those states are included (Reported).

Around September 12, a hacker posted on a cybercrime forum claiming to have 7.49 million records (Claimed). That figure has not been verified and is different from the Texas count.

What data was involved

• Names and addresses: Confirmed in the Texas listing
• Social Security numbers: Confirmed in the Texas listing
• Driver's license numbers: Confirmed in the Texas listing
• Phone numbers, account numbers, billing amounts and payment status: Claimed by the hacker only, not confirmed by CenterPoint

Names and home addresses are already common on people-search sites. Combined with a Social Security number and a driver's license number, they are enough to attempt account openings and identity checks in your name.

Customers have filed proposed class actions in federal court in Houston. Their claims are allegations only.

What you can do now

1. Freeze your credit. Place a free freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This blocks most new credit applications in your name, and you can lift it when you need to apply for something.
2. Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN. It prevents someone else from filing a federal tax return with your Social Security number.
3. Watch for misuse of your driver's license number. If you find it used in a fraudulent account or traffic record, report it to the Texas Department of Public Safety and file a report at IdentityTheft.gov.
4. Be careful with calls about your utility bill. Scammers often pose as utilities and threaten disconnection unless you pay right away. If you get a call like that, hang up and call the number printed on your CenterPoint bill.
5. Watch your mail for a CenterPoint letter. If a letter offers credit monitoring, use the enrollment details in the letter itself, not links sent by text or email.