Cybersecurity and data breaches
205 of 521 companies added a paragraph in Risk Factors that uses one of these words:
cybersecurity, cyber, ransomware, data breach, cyberattack, hackers.
The paragraph is in the latest 10-K and nothing like it was in the one before.
It counts text; it does not say how serious a risk is. Words in capitals only (such as AI) must be in capitals.
By sector
Sector is the SEC's industry description of the company. Each count opens that sector's quotes below.
| Sector | Companies | Compared |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Communications Equipment | 3 | 3 |
| Accident & Health Insurance | 2 | 2 |
| Computer Peripheral Equipment, NEC | 2 | 2 |
| Instruments For Meas & Testing of Electricity & Elec Signals | 2 | 2 |
| Men's & Boys' Furnishgs, Work Clothg, & Allied Garments | 2 | 2 |
| Rubber & Plastics Footwear | 2 | 2 |
| Air Courier Services | 1 | 1 |
| Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Apparel & Other Finishd Prods of Fabrics & Similar Matl | 1 | 1 |
| Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters | 1 | 1 |
| Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies | 1 | 1 |
| Electrical Industrial Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Electronic Components & Accessories | 1 | 1 |
| Electronic Connectors | 1 | 1 |
| Engines & Turbines | 1 | 1 |
| Gas & Other Services Combined | 1 | 1 |
| General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Grain Mill Products | 1 | 1 |
| Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors | 1 | 1 |
| In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances | 1 | 1 |
| Insurance Carriers, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 1 | 1 |
| Meat Packing Plants | 1 | 1 |
| Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries | 1 | 1 |
| Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods | 1 | 1 |
| Paper Mills | 1 | 1 |
| Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Eating & Drinking Places | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Radio, Tv & Consumer Electronics Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Retail Stores, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Rolling Drawing & Extruding of Nonferrous Metals | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Advertising Agencies | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) | 1 | 1 |
| Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Television Broadcasting Stations | 1 | 1 |
| Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) | 1 | 1 |
| Water Supply | 1 | 1 |
| Wholesale-Electronic Parts & Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies | 1 | 1 |
| X-Ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Finance Services | 21 | 28 |
| Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service | 4 | 6 |
| Electrical Work | 2 | 3 |
| Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations | 2 | 3 |
| Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design | 2 | 3 |
| Investment Advice | 5 | 8 |
| Biological Products, (No Diagnostic Substances) | 3 | 5 |
| Computer Storage Devices | 3 | 5 |
| Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. | 3 | 5 |
| National Commercial Banks | 6 | 11 |
| Services-Prepackaged Software | 10 | 19 |
| Petroleum Refining | 3 | 6 |
| Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) | 2 | 4 |
| Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys | 2 | 4 |
| Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services | 2 | 4 |
| Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation | 2 | 4 |
| Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts | 1 | 2 |
| Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware | 1 | 2 |
| Industrial Organic Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Mining & Quarrying of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) | 1 | 2 |
| Oil & Gas Field Services, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Optical Instruments & Lenses | 1 | 2 |
| Printed Circuit Boards | 1 | 2 |
| Pumps & Pumping Equipment | 1 | 2 |
| Radio & Tv Broadcasting & Communications Equipment | 1 | 2 |
| Retail-Auto & Home Supply Stores | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Computer Programming Services | 1 | 2 |
| Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Medical Laboratories | 1 | 2 |
| Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) | 1 | 2 |
| Transportation Services | 1 | 2 |
| Trucking (No Local) | 1 | 2 |
| Semiconductors & Related Devices | 7 | 15 |
| Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies | 3 | 7 |
| Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus | 4 | 10 |
| Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, and Control | 2 | 5 |
| Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies | 2 | 5 |
| Services-Business Services, NEC | 6 | 16 |
| Pharmaceutical Preparations | 4 | 11 |
| Electric Services | 5 | 15 |
| Electric & Other Services Combined | 4 | 12 |
| State Commercial Banks | 2 | 6 |
| Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip | 1 | 3 |
| Computer & office Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Electronic Computers | 1 | 3 |
| Life Insurance | 1 | 3 |
| Measuring & Controlling Devices, NEC | 1 | 3 |
| Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers | 1 | 3 |
| Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research | 1 | 3 |
| Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics | 1 | 3 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts | 8 | 27 |
| Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas | 2 | 7 |
| Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance | 3 | 12 |
| Retail-Eating Places | 1 | 4 |
| Hospital & Medical Service Plans | 1 | 5 |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 1 | 5 |
| Retail-Variety Stores | 1 | 5 |
528 paragraphs · Electric Services show all sectors
Risks from cybersecurity and physical threats to energy infrastructure are increasing. Threat actors, including sophisticated nation-state actors and criminal groups, exploit potential vulnerabilities in the electric utility industry, grid infrastructure and other energy infrastructures. Attacks and disruptions, which could involve physical, cyber and hybrid targeting of physical and cyber assets, are increasingly sophisticated and dynamic. The increased implementation of, and reliance on, information technologies and networks to manage business operations, including the operation of technical systems, as well as AEP’s use of numerous vendors and suppliers, create additional points of vulnerability that could be, and in certain instances have been, exploited by malicious threat actors. Several U.S. government agencies have warned that the energy sector and its supply chains are subject to increasing risks of physical attacks, ransomware attacks and cybersecurity threats, and that the risks may escalate during periods of heightened geopolitical tensions. In addition, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of AI technologies may intensify AEP’s cybersecurity risks.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 12, 2026 ↗
AEP has not identified any cybersecurity incidents that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect its business strategy, results of operation or financial condition.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 12, 2026 ↗
If a material physical or cybersecurity breach or disruption were to occur, AEP’s reputation could be negatively affected, customer confidence in AEP could be diminished and AEP could be subject to legal claims, regulatory exposure, loss of revenues, and increased costs, including infrastructure repairs or operations shutdown, all of which could materially affect AEP’s financial condition and materially damage its business reputation. Moreover, the amount and scope of insurance maintained against losses resulting from any such security breaches or disruptions may not be sufficient to cover losses or otherwise adequately compensate for any resulting business disruptions. The continued increase in federal and state regulatory requirements related to cybersecurity and evolving threat actor-capabilities could require changes to measures currently undertaken by AEP or to its business operations and could adversely affect its financial condition.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 12, 2026 ↗
Our acquisition of Calpine in January 2026 introduces expanded cybersecurity and physical security risks. As part of the integration, we have and expect to continue to evolve our systems, processes, and technical controls in connection with Calpine's information technology and operational technology. Our acquisition of Calpine and the visibility of the transaction will likely increase attention from potential cyber threat actors, potential insider threats, and opportunistic adversaries.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 24, 2026 ↗
The use of AI technologies in our operations presents risks that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation. AI systems, whether developed internally or used by our vendors, service providers or business partners, may produce inaccurate, biased or misleading outputs or experience errors, security vulnerabilities or other failures, which could result in operational disruptions, flawed decision‑making, data loss, cybersecurity incidents or reputational harm. The use of AI may also increase the risk of inadvertent disclosure or misuse of proprietary, confidential or personal information. In addition, the legal and regulatory landscape governing AI technologies is rapidly evolving and uncertain, and compliance with new or changing requirements may impose significant costs or limit our ability to develop, deploy or use AI. If we fail to keep pace with the rapid evolution of AI technologies in our industry and the segments we serve, our competitive position and business results could be negatively impacted.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 24, 2026 ↗
NEE and FPL use AI technologies in various aspects of their operations, including, without limitation, financial analysis, strategic planning, field work intelligence, work scheduling, grid optimization, energy forecasting, customer service and operations management. The use of and reliance on AI may present certain risks such as, but not limited to, AI tools may malfunction, produce inaccurate or biased outputs, or behave unpredictably, and introduce NEE and FPL to additional cybersecurity threats and data privacy risks. In addition, as NEE and FPL rely on third-party vendors for certain AI tools, platforms and collaborations, NEE and FPL could experience third-party vendor issues such as disruptions in vendor relationships, performance issues, cybersecurity threats or disputes over intellectual property rights. Further, the regulatory environment governing AI is also evolving, and future legislation or agency rulemaking may impose new compliance obligations or restrict certain AI applications, increasing costs to comply with such requirements and failure to do so could result in regulatory enforcement, penalties or reputational harm. While AI technologies offer the potential to enhance operational efficiency, accelerate growth and lower costs, these benefits may not be realized and the use of and reliance on AI may present certain risks, both of which could materially adversely affect NEE’s and FPL’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 13, 2026 ↗
The Company’s use of, or failure to effectively adopt, AI systems in its operations, services and products poses operational, competitive, cybersecurity, legal and compliance risks that could adversely affect the Company.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 24, 2026 ↗
Because AI technologies remain in the early stages of development and industry standards are still emerging, their use, whether by PPL, its subsidiaries or third-party vendors, presents inherent risks. Although we seek contractual protections and conduct due diligence with third-party vendors that incorporate AI technologies into their products or services, we may not have full visibility into, awareness of, or control over, the underlying data, supply chain dependencies, model training practices, performance, security safeguards, or compliance posture of such AI enabled tools. AI algorithms that we or our third-party vendors use may be flawed or may be based on datasets that are biased or insufficient, which may introduce risks involving data quality, data integrity, cybersecurity, adversarial manipulation, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, biased outcomes, or improper handling of sensitive information.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 20, 2026 ↗
These limitations, failures, or inaccurate results generated as a result of our employees', contractors' or vendors' use or misuse of AI technologies could lead to operational interruptions or otherwise adversely affect our business, reputation, or financial results. In addition, the development, testing, and deployment of AI capabilities may require significant computational resources, specialized personnel, and additional investment, resulting in increased costs. We may not be able to recover these costs through our regulatory proceedings. Rapid advances in AI capabilities, as well as the emerging regulatory landscape in the United States and internationally, may also require modifications to our systems, adoption of enhanced governance processes or implementation of new safeguards. Future laws, regulations, Executive Orders, or industry standards relating to AI (which may be conflicting), including those addressing transparency, data usage, cybersecurity, accountability, or risk management, could materially affect how we design, procure, or use AI technologies and could increase compliance costs. In addition, the pace of AI innovation and regulation is unpredictable, and we cannot foresee all potential impacts of AI technologies or future laws and regulations or compliance requirements, and their associated costs and consequences. Any of the risks described above could adversely affect our business operations, reputation, or financial results.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 20, 2026 ↗