Time Warner Cable said on Wednesday that it had been contacted by the FBI who notified the cable TV and Internet service provider that its customers’ email addresses including account passwords may have been compromised.
“Approximately 320,000 customers across our markets could be impacted by this situation,” a Time Warner spokesperson told SecurityWeek via email. “To protect the security of these customers, we are sending emails and direct mail correspondence to encourage them to update their email passwords as a precaution. Additionally, through our website we provide several tips for how to navigate the Web more carefully and how to avoid phishing schemes.”
The company said it has not yet determined how the information was obtained, but said there have been no indications that its computer systems were breached.
“The emails and passwords were likely previously stolen either through malware downloaded during phishing attacks or indirectly through data breaches of other companies that stored TWC customer information, including email addresses,” the company said.
Time Warner Cable serves 16 roughly million customers across 29 states in the U.S. and employs more than 50,000 people across the country.