- Filed Under
New York State Electric & Gas and Rochester Gas and Electric began sending precautionary notifications Monday to customers advising them of unauthorized access to customer data.
The situation involves an employee at an independent software development consulting firm who allowed unauthorized access to one of the companies’ customer information systems. The customer records contain Social Security numbers, dates of birth and, in some cases, financial institution account numbers.
The New York State Public Service Commission announced it will investigate.
“Public utilities are custodians of a great deal of personal customer information,” said Commission Chairman Garry Brown. “As a result of this apparent data security breach, I have asked staff of the Department of Public Service to immediately initiate an investigation of the facts and circumstances surrounding this event.”
The Department of Public Service investigation will focus on the adequacy of the company’s plan to identify, communicate with and assist any affected utility customers. It also will seek a complete understanding of the root causes for the breach, and the measures in place to protect against such a breach.
There is no evidence that any customer data has actually been misused or that there was any malicious intent, NYSEG officials said. NYSEG and RG&E have consulted with law enforcement and engaged computer forensics experts.
“The matter was reported to law enforcement authorities, and as a precautionary measure, we are offering NYSEG and RG&E customers the option of a credit monitoring service at no charge,” said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E.
A help line has been established to assist NYSEG and RG&E customers: (877) 736-4495. The line will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
NYSEG and RG&E have arranged for Experian to offer customers the option of a year of credit monitoring free of charge to help identify possible fraudulent activity. Additional information about this matter is available on the companies’ websites at www.nyseg.com and www.rge.com.
