• by Jess Nelson , January 7, 2016

An estimated 320,000 Time Warner Cable customers received an email or direct mail alert this week that their email accounts and passwords had been hacked.

The security threat reportedly only impacted Roadrunner email addresses, which include the letters ‘rr’ in the domain name, and suspected victims have been advised to change their password.

Time Warner Cable asserts there is no indication that its technology system was breached, and that the likely hacking culprit is instead a phishing scam containing downloadable malware. 

"Our understanding is that the compromise had nothing to do with TWC's systems or processes," states Time Warner Cable in an email to customers suspected of being victims of the attack. "TWC has found no evidence of a breach in its systems that operate and secure email accounts for our customers."

Phishing scams are a popular tactic of cybercriminals and occur when email users are tricked to update their personal information online via a fake Web site owned by a hacker. The Web sites often mimic a legitimate company and may also include downloaded malware that can collect additional personal information, such as financial data or social security numbers, from a victim’s computer.

Both consumer-facing and business-targeting phishing scams increased in 2015 according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group.

In other recent Time Warner Cable news, the FCC has delayed their review of Charter Communications Inc.’s acquisition of the cable television giant until January 20 to vet the deal and qualify its effect on consumers and competitors alike.