Nearly 100,000 Alabama Power Accounts Hit by Data Breach

Nearly 100,000 Alabama Power customer accounts were impacted by a data breach involving the utility’s parent company, Southern Company.

Southern Company confirmed that an unauthorized third party gained access to limited customer information through its online customer portal. According to Beyond Machines, approximately 400,000 customer accounts were affected overall, including nearly 100,000 of Alabama Power’s approximately 1.6 million accounts.

Information accessed during the incident included customer names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, the last four digits of Social Security numbers and other basic account details.

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Southern Company said bank account numbers, payment card numbers and driver’s license numbers were not included in the compromised information.

The company said it recently detected suspicious activity involving its online customer portal and took steps to stop the unauthorized access after discovering it. Southern Company also contacted law enforcement and launched an investigation.

Following that investigation, the company said it has not found evidence of ongoing unauthorized access. Southern Company has not publicly explained how the third party was able to gain access to the customer information.

Affected customers are being notified by the company and are being offered one year of complimentary credit monitoring through Equifax.

Customers whose information was involved should be particularly cautious about unexpected emails, text messages and phone calls that appear to come from their utility company or other trusted organizations. Information such as a customer’s name, phone number, address and account details can potentially be used to make fraudulent messages appear more convincing.

Customers should avoid providing passwords, full Social Security numbers, payment information or other sensitive information in response to unsolicited messages. Anyone receiving a suspicious communication claiming to be from Alabama Power should verify it using contact information obtained directly from the company rather than information provided in the message.

Southern Company said it is continuing the process of notifying customers affected by the incident and remains committed to protecting customer information.